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I'm having a hard time with just liquids. I'm 2 weeks post op as well and all I want to do is chew something. I can have yogurt and pudding...Just not the same. I don't even want anything fatty I just want to chew. I miss salty as well. The broth is ok...but man this is hard. I get to have oatmeal on Wednesday. That might help. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

style="margin:0;padding:0;background-color:#d8dde8;color:#5a5a5a;font:normal 13px helvetica, arial, sans-serif;position:relative;"> Hey BariatricPal Members! I hope you are having a great winter and are getting closer than ever to your weight loss surgery goals. It’s a good time of year to hunker down and focus on the end goal, but there’s still plenty of room for fun. We hope this letter gives you a nice balance of work and play. Here’s what you’ll find: Come Out a Winner on Super Bowl Sunday! Hydration: an Underestimated Weight Loss Tool Get Out of the WLS Rut this Groundhog Day Savor the newsletter, get motivated for some fun times, and then come talk about your progress and anything else on your mind at the BariatricPal forums! Thanks for your support, and see you on the boards! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal Come Out a Winner on Super Bowl Sunday! The stats on Super Bowl Sunday food are no surprise. It’s the country’s biggest day for pizza restaurants, and Americans also down millions of pounds of chips, wings, and nuts, not to mention the billions of burgers and millions of cases of beer. Of course, none of those numbers will reflect what you eat on Super Bowl Sunday, do they? Your Super Bowl LI can be your healthiest one yet, and still be filled with food and fun. Focus on the Game Not a fan of football? Then focus on the commercials and half-time show, or put yourself in charge of running the betting pool at the party. Do everyone a favor and watch the kids as their parents focus on the big game, or do a little cleaning up and serving as the game goes on. In short, keep yourself busy doing anything but eating! Love the Healthy Treats Skip the aforementioned staples, and provide your own healthy but delicious treats to nibble on when the mood strikes. Bump up the Protein and cut back on carbs whenever you can. Veggies with salsa or guacamole. chicken and veggie skewers. Sweet and salty snack mix with Protein Cereal, Protein Cookies, Protein pretzels, and Protein Zippers. Parfaits with Greek yogurt, Protein Granola, and berries. Get what you need at The BariatricPal Store and use coupon code BPNewsletter10 for a 10% discount off your entire first order! Hydration: An Underestimated Weight Loss Tool Your weight loss surgery diet gets the most attention before and after surgery, but other factors definitely contribute to your weight loss success. One of those is staying hydrated. When you get enough Water, you: Feel more full without getting more calories. Have more energy so you can be more active and burn more calories. Burn more calories at rest. Talking about drinking fluids may not be as glamorous as discussing your protein sources, but it can be well worth the conversation! Fluids Morning, Noon, and Night You can be sipping on water and other low-calorie drinks all day except for within 30 minutes of eating solid foods. Aim for 8 8-ounce cups of fluids each day, and more if you sweat heavily or the weather is warm. Staying Hydrated Can Be Fun Getting your fluids in can almost be fun to think about because it does not involve depriving yourself of anything. Instead, you get to experiment with all kinds of hydrating drinks to see which you enjoy most and find easiest to get down. You can try: Plain water or water flavored with flavor drops or fresh herbs. Sipping broths. Decaf tea. flavored water such as Stur Drinks. Get Out of the WLS Rut this Groundhog Day Have you seen the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day” starring Bill Murray? In the classic film, Murray’s character, a weatherman, wakes up to relive the same day, February 2, over and over again. Do you see any similarities between your weight loss surgery journey and the repetition of the circumstances of this weatherman? Going Around in Circles You can find yourself running around in circles at any stage of your weight loss surgery journey. Pre-op, you might be struggling with your decision with whether to get WLS and which kind you want. Post-op, you could be hitting a plateau every time you let those good habits slip. Or, you might be experiencing regain and loss of the same few pounds over your goal weight as you try to move into maintenance. Changing Season, Changing Habit This Groundhog Day may signal the end of winter or not. Either way, you know the end of winter is in sight, so you might as well take advantage of the new season to shake things up a bit. A small change or two may be all you need to get out of the rut. These are a few simple ideas that might do the trick. Add a regular treat to your diet. Looking forward to a guilt-free dessert such as a Protein Brownie at night, or a bag of Protein Chips with some Cheesy Dip while watching TV on the weekends, can be motivation enough to keep you away from the less virtuous treats. Recruit help to target your weakness. Have a sweet tooth after dinner? Get your spouse to listen to music or watch TV with you so you both leave the table and have something to do. Love the Mexican joint down the street from work? Ask a coworker to eat lunch with you so you aren’t tempted to sneak out for a burrito. Try a new activity. The feeling of using your muscles in different ways together with the rapid progress you are likely to make at first can increase your motivation compared to doing the same workout day in and day out. Hip-hop, kickboxing, and boot camp can be new and exciting, and never fear: any good instructor will show you how to keep the moves at your fitness level. Do something fun. Treat yourself well with a massage or pedicure, and you may find it easier to treat yourself well when it comes to eating right. Get a new perspective on WLS if you’re still waffling. You can set up a video chat with surgeons across the country to find out their recommendations for your situation. Let them know up front that you’re unlikely to become their patients, and you can be more confident that their advice will be in your best interest and not theirs. Often, a few tweaks can lead to big progress, especially if you are in it for the long run. Pinpoint a few changes you can make and commit to them, and see how well it pays off! February can have some dark days after a long winter, but there’s no reason to feel like you’re in a tunnel with your weight loss. Take some inspiration and ideas from this newsletter, and come join the fun conversations on BariatricPal! · Unsubscribe from all BariatricPal E-Mail.

I've been reading so many posts online including pamphlets I've been given on what to and what not to do post Gastric Bypass. Im three weeks out and I'm starting puréed stage. Now, I've been reading comments that you shouldn't have more than 2 oz of purée at a time. Im in shock! I've been comfortably eating a cup of Soup or Greek yogurt at a time! And I don't have to eat slowly. I eat at a moderate pace. Now I'm sooooo worried. Even if I didn't pop a stitch, could I have put a strain on one or two of my stitches and caused a weak spot? I'm a perfectionist and the thought of ruining my pouch and the good work the surgeon did is killing me. I can't stop thinking about it! Also, how much SHOULD I be eating at a meal? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm at 2 weeks but I'm not allowed to have tuna until week 6. I just added blended Greek yogurt and sugar free pudding and on Wednesday I will be able to have oatmeal and fruit blended into a Protein shake and half a banana. A week later I can start to add my veggies and such. I've included some photos here of what my regiment looks like cause the idea of trying to eat tuna right now sounds terrible. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Sorry those photos are out of order Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am 2 weeks out and doing pretty well, though I forget to take my Vitamins I'm trying to do better about that. I find I can take in a lot of liquid but trying to eat a yogurt or a snack pack pudding and I get nauseous. It is however easier to eat those things when I Water it down with Protein. On Wednesday I will be able to have fruit in protein smoothies and oatmeal. I'm really looking forward to having something not sweet that has some texture. Including my pre-op diet I went from 428 to 368 in 2 months. 60 pounds!! Here is a picture from September and a pic of me from a week ago! How's everybody else doing? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm in a mortuary science program right now, and honestly...eating can be tough. I have the sleeve and I'm just over 2 months out. I really dislike always having to carry a lunch bag with me, but there's really no other option for me. I keep Oikos Zero Greek yogurt, a few cheese sticks, a think thin low GI Protein bar or two, and sometimes tuna with relish or sliced rotisserie chicken in my bag with cold packs. Cracker barrel 2% reduced fat cheddar cheese sticks are a life saver. Sent From BariatricPal App

I feel the exact same and I am 8 weeks out... it was like reading about myself... I can't tolerate much of anything still... I am real good with tuna though... grilled chicken breast goes down easy and retried beans, hummus, boiled eggs, and Greek yogurt. My nutritionist said that o am doing fine and my doc said I may just be one of those patients that take a little extra time to get reacquainted with certain foods due to every time I try something new I get sick. So, thus far I have lost 33 lbs since surgery ... 56 lbs total since pre op diet .... I started out at 242 pre op and surgery I was 219 lbs. my body is changing and I am so grateful just moving forward and waiting for 6 month mark to see where I am. Good luck to us all . We are on the losers bench n kicking butt.. yaayyy!!!!!!

I was banded for 17 years (one revision 7 years in due to slippage). I got sleeved 7 1/2 weeks ago and so far I'm thrilled with the results. I'm being very cautious about what I reintroduce into my diet, though. I'm on 2 Protein shakes a day, cottage cheese or yogurt, some sort of protein ( like shrimp) and a few bites of vegetables. I plan to stay away from bread, Pasta, and rice for as long as possible. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Today was an awesome, albeit a dietetic frustration, day. Mom and I went out today. She had a couple of Dr. appointments and since she pretty much refuses to wear her prescription glasses ("I can see the big stuff" she says) I drive her around on a regular basis (much to the chagrin of my nerves). I get home from taking the oldest to school (the boy refuses to get a drivers license!) and decide to unload some of the articles from my mom's storage locker that I've had in my trunk for the last week. Freezing my arse off I gave up on that idea pretty fast. By this time I decide to go inside and warm up, maybe get some hot tea, and make breakfast. I was thinking my usual 2 eggs, sunny side up with a cup of greek yogurt. Lots of protein! Yeah...that didn't happen because I had just started to get the stuff together to do that when mom asks what I'm doing - we have to leave in 15 minutes for the Dr. "But that's this afternoon!" "Dr. Mike is this afternoon. This morning I have to see Emily" I'm thinking "well, poop. I don't even have time to make a shake before we leave" (and my tummy has already been growling for an hour. Oh joy. We Get her to the Dr. and don't get out of there until almost 11:30. It's lunch time! Ok, mom, where to eat? "How's Panera or Olive Garden sound?" Well, considering the last time I ate at Olive Garden I could find something that I could eat, but it cost a bloody fortune for a lunch menu (which we found out later was actually put in the computer as a dinner item) and I had gas so bad it hurt, I chose Panera. Surely there's something at Panera I could eat without compromising my diet too badly. Then I saw it...New England Clam Chowder. My favorite soup in the world aside of Olive Garden's Zupa Toscana. So I decided on a half Chicken Caesar Salad and a cup of soup for lunch with an apple (which I gave to mom). Big, big, huge mistake all the way around. The salad tasted okay, but it ended up causing pain in my gut. The soup...well, I could only get down two bites it was so icky. Have you ever had potatoes in soup that you can tell they've been frozen by the way they mush when you bite into them and remind you of really nasty instant mashed potatoes that weren't really mixed all that well? That's what these potatoes were like. Eww. My clam chowder tastes like a gourmet chef prepared it compared to what this was today. Thankfully, the lack of desirability for me to eat that soup saved me major amounts of caloric intake for lunch. Not even an hour and a half later, mom states she needs something to satiate her sweet tooth. I managed to put that one off until almost 3. She wanted either TCBY or Olive Garden. I knew TCBY had a greek frozen yogurt so I went there and had half of their little cup of the Greek Honey Vanilla yogurt topped with a spoonful of chopped pecans. Nothing else fancy. It actually ended up pretty yummy. I was surprised. Lots of protein again. Yay me! Mom and I are having our yogurts when she asks what we're having for dinner. Doe in the headlights look greeted this question. I have no clue. We forgot to take anything out to defrost and we aren't going to feel like cooking and cleaning after this. I agreed, but what to do for dinner? Mom's suggestions....#1 on the list - Spaghetti. #2 on the list - Macaroni topped with baked beans #3 on the list - Lasagna (are you starting to see a pattern here?) So I went with #3 and let her know that I had leftovers from last night that I could heat up to eat while they had that. When we went to the grocer, though, I ended up finding this Healthy Choice Steamers Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo and Oikos Lemon Meringue yogurt. OMG! both were so yummy!!! I could so totally see getting some spaghetti squash and pouring that over it! Speaking of Spaghetti squash! This truly is the best way I have found to cook spaghetti squash! It makes the strands actually LOOK like spaghetti! It's amazing, truly! After I put all of what I ate today into My Fitness Pal (MFP) I found out that I actually made my protein goal! 77 grams of protein taken in today and that's before my cheese slice that I have before bed, which will up my total to 80+ grams today. I could actually see myself hitting 100 grams if I had had my eggs and yogurt this morning. That amazed me. What also amazed me was all the things I WANTED to eat today. The San Fransisco sourdough bread mom bought today...the Reeses Peanut Butter Cups at the checkout at the grocery....All the pastries at Panera and the bakery...the clam chowder that I ultimately caved in on (but was thankfully thwarted of because of the taste of it)...the lasagna that the rest of the family had along with the garlic Texas toast...the Hershey Kiss Thumbprint cookies mom bought because the family just HAD to have a sweet treat. (I'm really glad she hid those because I really did go looking for them after dinner because they looked SO good!) I swear I was like a recovering alcoholic that was thrown into a bar! I'm truly addicted to sweets. Not candy, per se, but mostly pastries and cookies and stuff like that. Though even seeing the open bag of chocolate chips in the pantry is a massive temptation to grab a handful to eat by themselves. Do they have sugar eaters anonymous or something like that? "Hi, My name is Alex and I'm addicted to sugar" I am, too. And milk. OMG I think I would die if I couldn't have milk anymore. So, that's my discovery for today...I'm addicted to sugar. I wonder what I'll discover about myself tomorrow?

My first food in that stage was a scrambled egg. Low fat Greek yogurt went well too and still does (I'm early in the "soft diet" phase-- my RNY was 1/16). Puréed cauliflower it just a tiny bit after Protein. Really super duper mashed canned salmon with a bit of low fat mayo. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi all. I had GB on 1-18 and just started puréed foods. I didn't get a sample diet, just a list of foods to eat: Baby food, cottage cheese, yogurt etc. don't even know when to drink Protein shakes in between all this. I can only see my nut 3x a year, and haven't even seen her since I had my surgery. I tried to see her the day of my 1 week check up, but was told that I could not because they wouldn't be able to bill insurance for it because it was same day as doctor visit. Can anyone give me a sample diet or some advice in what you are doing during the puréed stage? I was only told by doctor to get in about 60g protein. I almost feel like I was just discarded now that I had the surgery. Thanks!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I was sleeved 01/25... I can drink Water, crystal light, hot tea, etc and eat a popsicle with no real feeling of restriction... I can also drink about 4 to 5 oz of something like tomato Soup without an issue, as long as I go slow and don't try to "chug" it... thicker stuff like pudding or greek yogurt I can't do more than about 2 spoonfuls. I'm not far enough along yet to have the other things that have been mentioned (I start purees the 8th, soft foods the 22nd and then March 15th I get real food again). Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

I was sleeved on 1-18. It gets better I'm down 30 lbs. ice pops Protein shakes. Yogurt and cottage cheese had been great. Had 1 egg today also done egg salad. Water still hard to drink 64 oz. but I'm doing great. Any body from east coast. Ny here Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am 8 days post op and my hunger just returned yesterday. It scared me because I don't want to overeat. I'm on full liquid diet till next week. I'm allowed to have yogurt and is been hard to only eat 2Tb cuz I want more. It's reassuring to know that I'm not going to want to overeat. Sent from my SM-G930V using the BariatricPal App

Same thing here. Sleeved 1/31 and I barely eat a teaspoon of yogurt and I'm full, teaspoon of tuna and I'm full and I can't drink a 1/4 of my Protein shake. I've been focusing on drinking Water and teas. I find that I generally sip on warm tea anyway and I can drink about 4 oz from a cup, so tea 5 x a day = 20 oz plus some water and broth and the shakes (those count as liquids) I've been tallying 40 oz of liquids. Not bad for someone that's just 3 days out. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm 4 months out and have started going out again. Yes, I am a total foodie so I'll address that: it's usually fine. Sure, at its most extreme it's little weird getting the plain, grilled chicken breast or burger, no bun, but it's really just low-carb. Everyone's seen it before. And a lot of places have protein appetizers. "I'm not all that hungry - I'll just have the chicken skewer appetizer." Sometimes I share a plate, or just pick out what I want and get the rest to go. My sister (just very healthy) is the queen of ordering it her way - eggs Benedict on tomato slices instead of muffin; can you do grilled veggies instead of potatoes? Can you do that in a lettuce wrap? Can I get that over broccoli instead of pasta? It's basically a good habit we're now trying to get the kids onboard with, too. No, I'm not buying junk for your friends but I'll make Greek yogurt ranch and get cucumber slices to dip with and serve it with a side of spicy pepperoni and Parmesan crisps. It's not a bad way of eating, it's just different. But then again, I was ready to change my life and be done with the crap. I'm still getting used to it - and *always* have emergency purse food like nuts, meat sticks, olives - but I've also made amazing discoveries about what restaurants will do if you ask. For the first time in my life I'm not starving all the time. For the first time I don't want sugar/fat/salt all.the.time. I want to travel the world, be able to hike without everything hurting, not worry if that chair can hold my weight. That's why I'm trying to focus on the nourishing food I can eat and coming up with plans to make that work. As for potlucks, I usually bring something I can eat and drink a protein shake in the car . "OMG - I had such a big breakfast, I just don't think I can eat another thing..." Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I was told no pudding or Greek yogurt just yet and not even Jello. I guess each bariatric dr/ surgeon is different. I'm on a liquid diet for 4 weeks Sent from my SM-J700T using the BariatricPal App

I do the sugar free sweets as an occasional treat! [emoji1327] i found them especially helpful at Christmas when I had to watch everyone enjoying desserts and cookies. During that time, I tried sugar free chocolate chip cookies and sugar free Reese's cups. I loved both and they tasted like the real thing, so I didn't feel deprived during the holidays. I also found my local frozen yogurt shop has sugar free froyo, and I have enjoyed a little of that on two special occasions.

Weekly food planning seems to be the new (ish) hot thing right now. Pinterest has lots of info about how to easily achieve this although I prefer to plan daily rather than weekly (Only because hubby can never make his mind up as to what he want for the main meal of the day!!) I always plan my meals the night before, for the next day. Hubby collects what we are having for dinner, in his lunch hour and I sort out my other meals and Snacks. I keep things like Protein bars, baby bel, yogurts, nuts and Jerky at work in case I have to go out of the office at meal/snack times. If I don't eat enough I find I can stall or even put on weight. I don't want to lose anymore but maintainence isnt easy, I am working harder now than I did in the honeymoon period. When you have a good, solid plan, the distractions are not as distracting. When you are following your plan, you can more quickly recover from the setbacks. Your plan keeps you focused and connected with your purpose. Having a plan enables you to build powerful, positive momentum in your efforts. Anything that’s worth doing is also worth the time and effort spent to establish a workable plan. Plan to succeed, and you will. © 2012 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. (allowed to share) Best of Luck !

I'm scheduled for surgery in March also. I have a wicked busy schedule but force myself to prep. If it is a truly busy day I'll make sure I have a Protein shake with me and some good high-protein Snacks (greek yogurt, sargento balanced breaks, cold cuts, or a Protein Bar as a last resort). If I need to stop out and about I love the new egg white bites from Starbucks, or I'll grab some cheese and nuts from 7-11. I also make sure I drink a boatload (3500 mL) of Water during the day. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thank you all for the words of encouragement. My pre op diet is 4 weightwatcher Soups. 4 mullerlight yogurts daily. I am in Uk. Am going to do lean meat and veg for weekend and then resume the diet in case they call with new date. Xx Mandi xx

Wow, thank for all the examples, I will put this to use immediately. I basically eat farina/cream of wheat in morning , a premier shake for snack , tuna or some eggs for lunch, Oykos zero yogurt for snack, and either flounder or chicken for dinner so that does get very old to me especially if I'm not good in the kitchen. Those sugar free ice pops are a life saver though LoL Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

The Calorie Control Council estimates that the typical Super Bowl fan can consume at least 2400 calories and 121 grams of fat during the 4-5 hour football game. Patients who had bariatric surgery are not typical. Your new lifestyle demands rethinking portions and the types of foods that are available to you. Chips and dips are frequent guests at Super Bowl gatherings. These are basically fat and salt. There are bariatric friendly versions you can make a part of your lifestyle. Try using hummus, refried beans or a healthy version of Ranch dip as a menu item instead. A bariatric friendly Ranch dip is thoroughly mixing a 5.3-ounce container of plain, fat-free or low-fat Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon of low-fat mayonnaise and 2-3 teaspoons (or to taste) of powdered Ranch Dip mix. You can use crackers like Ritz, Club or Saltines as dippers if you are on the soft and puree food part of the post-surgery diet. Once you can have fresh veggies, think about using bell pepper strips, snow peas, cucumber or carrot sticks or slices to dip in the Ranch dip. If you’d like more Super Bowl ideas, check out the www.bariatriceating.com website. Click “recipes” and check out “Super Bowl Food.” That Southwestern Bean Dip is super easy and looks delish. Hope your team wins!

Chips and dips are frequent guests at Super Bowl gatherings. These are basically fat and salt. There are bariatric friendly versions you can make a part of your lifestyle. Try using hummus, refried beans or a healthy version of Ranch dip as a menu item instead. A bariatric friendly Ranch dip is thoroughly mixing a 5.3-ounce container of plain, fat-free or low-fat Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon of low-fat mayonnaise and 2-3 teaspoons (or to taste) of powdered Ranch Dip mix. You can use crackers like Ritz, Club or Saltines as dippers if you are on the soft and puree food part of the post-surgery diet. Once you can have fresh veggies, think about using bell pepper strips, snow peas, cucumber or carrot sticks or slices to dip in the Ranch dip. If you’d like more Super Bowl ideas, check out the www.bariatriceating.com website. Click “recipes” and check out “Super Bowl Food.” That Southwestern Bean Dip is super easy and looks delish. Hope your team wins!

I was sleeved Monday as well. I have been having difficulties consuming enough. Been having horrible stomach pains after drinking or eating. Nothing taste good either. Been doing Protein drinks, Water, flavored water, Jello, pudding, strained cream soup, and Greek yogurt!! Good news is im down 6lbs already Sent from my SM-G928V using the BariatricPal App