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I refuse to eat anything I don't like. I eat full fat cottage cheese, cheese, sour cream, butter, and salad dressing, if I'm going to have it. I don't eat all of those things all the time, and when I do, it's a small, measured amount. I work it into my calories for the day. I rarely drink milk, but if I do, it's whole milk. I don't eat much bread, rice, or Pasta, but I do on occasion. I also take advantage of some "diet" foods like Quest bars. One fat free thing I do eat is Fage 0 fat greek yogurt - because I like it.

@@Browneyedgirl818 - My Twin! Where have you been! lol I am at 3 weeks post op and I know exactly how you feel. I can't take another Protein shake and chicken broth for the life of me. I am on the pureed stage which means NOTHING, because everything in a blender grosses me out apparently. I have my first follow up with my surgeon tomorrow. I am going to ask him what's up with all this nonsense of mine? Plus I can barely make it to 400 calories a day. Nevermind the 64oz of Water. So far, this is what I have discovered: cheese on eggs gross me out (for now) My new tummy doesn't care for ham Cottage Cheese is okay, if I put honey on it. Still I can only eat about 1 tablespoon of it. Desperate attempt to blenderize mac and cheese and that was a HUGE mistake. lol Swallowed one crouton thinking, no harm- no foul, HAHAHA, yeah right. Crouton was stuck for a long while. Shrimp taste funny to me. (I hope that changes) Home made mash potatoes (i made for dinner for my loved one and I tasted a pinch of it) tastes nasty to me. I baked cupcakes for my BF job and I don't care for the smell of batter and icing is nasty Deviled Ham is cat food Shredded buffalo chicken (deli meat) gives me heartburn Quest Bar- Apple pie is awesome (having for dinner right now) I was only able to eat 1 oz of baked tilapia before it got stuck going down. Decaf coffee is okay Premier Protein chocolate shake is nasty to me because of the thickness. I discovered I prefer 1 % milk over 2% milk Lipton Black Iced tea sugar free has been my savior Lifesavers has also saved me a few time from low sugar Greek yogurt is NOT my thing. ugh. Diabetic Dannon light yogurt is okay Refried Beans is not my thing Popsicles- cherry only I can go on, but can you tell my desperate attempts in the kitchen? I know when I am able to eat solids, it will be much better. But for right now, dog biscuits look tempting. lol So I understand you completely.

Here's what it feels like to me: (Im 6 months post-op with 6cc's in a 10cc band) When Im out with friends for dinner, I order a chopped barbeque chicken salad, the lunch portion. I eat about 1/3 of the lunch portion--maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup and am totally stuffed. About 3 hours later, when we stop in the mall for frozen yogurt, I get a kiddie size cup of non-fat yogurt, have a half a dozen bites and throw the rest out. It feels like food no longer controls me. I eat when Im hungry. I stop when Im not. I dont feel compelled to BINGE. (Binge eating was a huge issue for me) I feel...dare I say it, NORMAL.

(1) It takes more than saline to cause a bandster to experience restriction, and (2) it also depends on the person's expectations of restriction. For example: (1) You will not experience restriction when eating soft and slider foods, even healthy ones like Protein shakes, yogurt, oatmeal, etc. (2) If you expect your band to sound an alarm when you have optimal restriction, you will probably miss your soft stops and other, more subtle signs of restriction.

Protein shakes and Greek Yogurt are the most common sources of protein during the liquid phase. (my surgeon let me have yogurt while on liquids). I was also allowed watery oatmeal, sugar free pudding, and cream Soups with no chunks. I was told if it ran off the back of a spoon easily, I could consider it a liquid. Hang in there, we survived the liquid diet and you will too

Turkey meatballs and half a cup low carb Marinara 2 ounces pot roast with a couple of spoonfuls of Greek yogurt. I put in one quarter of a potatoe and some peas too. I made my own chilli and figured out the calories and servings and purée it with some Greek yogurt too. Pulled pork with barbecue sauce and Greek yogurt The possibilities are endless!!!

Greek yogurt with a teaspoon of natural peanut butter and a splenda. Tastes like peanut butter pie and loadedddddddd with protein.

Exactly 2 weeks from today is my surgery I'm excited and nervous and anxious lol so today I start my pre-op diet. So for the next 2 weeks this is what my food for the whole day will look like: Breakfast: chobani Greek yogurt and 24 oz water Snack: protein shake Lunch: 3/4 cup fat free cottage cheese, 1/2 cup watermelon and 24oz water Snack: 2 sugar free Popsicles Dinner: 3oz tilapia, 1 cup broccoli (cooked) and 24oz water All of that is within my calorie, carb, protein and fluid guidelines lol to me it doesn't sound like a lot of food but after surgery I won't be eating much so my body has to get used to it some how lol do can anyone tell me how you deal with food cravings during this time and how to NOT give into ur food cravings?

Are you allowed a full liquid diet or just clear? I was on full liquids the first week. I enjoyed low fat/low sugar Greek yogurt (no fruit in it). Light and fit Greek yogurt is good. They have a toasted coconut vanilla that is really good. I was also allowed cottage cheese and ricotta cheese. I mixed both with garlic salt and heated it up in the microwave. Also tomato basil soup mixed with unflavored protein powder. I was sick of the broth before I even left the hospital, so I had to get creative!

Hey all, Well i'm on day 8 of 14 for my pre-op diet (about 700 calories a day) before my surgery next Friday May 27th with Dr. Keith Kim in Celebration. It really hasnt been that hard (I had already cut myself to 1300 calories and working out almost daily about 1.5 months ago), a few bouts with low energy and of course just being sick of Protein shakes and smelling and seeing everyone else's food has been a challenge! I had to go to a luncheon on Wednesday and BOY did everything look and smell good. I wont name the foods b/c its bad enough I had to endure it, no need to drag you all along with me Everyone kinda looked at me weird but noone asked and if they had, I was planning on saying I had a late lunch appt right after so as not to have to divulge personal info. Not sure who all is on a pre-op diet but here is mine: 7:30am - Protein shake with 8 oz of fat free-milk (Protein powder is the Vitamin Shoppe Brand, 100 Cal, 24g Protein, 0g fat, <1g Carb) 10:30am - 8oz Water with benefiber mixed in 12:30pm - Protein Shake with 8 oz of water, no sugar added vanilla yogurt (separate, not mixed with the shake), 8 oz water with benefiber mixed in 2:30pm - 1cup raw carrots (can be 1 cup of any raw veggie, but carrots are crunchy so it takes longer to chew and helps with the texture-withdrawal i'm having from the rest of the diet) 5:30pm - Protein Shake with 8 oz of water, 8 oz water with benefiber mixed in 7:30pm - Protein Shake with 8 oz of fat free-milk So that means that now, on day 8, as of 12:36pm, i have consumed a whopping 30 shakes!!! Only 24 to go!! Overall, like i said, its not that bad but is kind of annoying...its working though, have lost about 10lbs since starting it and am getting really psyched about the surgery! Anyone else doing a similar diet? Thanks!

Hello Lisa’s Hope! I was one of your caring supporters during your darkest days when you first lost your husband. It is so good to see your post today! Most importantly—although it might not feel like it to you, you HAVE made tremendous progress in clawing your way back from your devastating loss. I know sometimes I get so tired of people telling me how “resilient” I am. Do you ever feel that way too? But, I personally believe that our lost loved ones want us to honor them in the best way there is, and that is to live out our lives joyfully in peace, and in the present day, not stuck in the past or in what could have been. OK--about your weight regain. YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE! Thousands upon thousands of people who go through far less traumatic experiences than you have REGAIN much more than 38 lbs. Some people LOSE a lot of weight during major emotional trauma. That’s who we are. Emotional humans. It doesn’t make us failures. I just want to share some of my thoughts with you because you've been through so much and I just wish you future happiness and contentment in your WLS life. Your post was really just venting and you didn't really ask for this advice, so I hope you don't find my post offensive. Have you thought about paying more attention to the negative talk you are telling yourself? It can really keep us weighed down (no pun intended) emotionally. Just a couple thoughts as you try to get yourself "Back to Basics:" The FIRST step to reclaim control of your eating habits is to BE KIND TO YOURSELF. The SECOND step is to focus on TODAY’s eating only. Not what happened yesterday. The THIRD step might be to actually sit down and make a written list of the exact foods that you KNOW are the biggest culprits that are most contributing to your weight gain. (This is a tough get-real moment for a lot of us). It might be that you need to go “cold turkey” and totally eliminate these foods until you reach your desired weight. Get them out of the house. Meanwhile, you find some acceptable substitutes for these foods so you don’t feel deprived. (Write the healthy substitute next to the culprit food.) For instance, you mentioned Fudgesicles—maybe find a recipe for frozen Greek yogurt drops. If you are near a Sams Club or Sprouts market, Fresh N Easy, check out Enlightened frozen bars—a satisfying 3.5 oz bar for Cal=80, Fat=2.5g,Carb=15g, Fib=5g, Sug=3g, Pro=9g. The FOURTH step is to be ready to commit to doing what it takes to consume your healthy 3 meals/2 Snacks per day, within your calorie/protein allotment. Do you have good bari recipes? Maybe visit www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com for starters. Yep, preparing 3 meals and 2 snacks is a lot of work, but we learn to be smart about it by planning ahead, cooking ahead, freezing portions, etc. Makes it almost painless! It is never too late to get rid of your old unhealthy eating habits and create the new, healthy habits and lifestyle that the long-term WLS patients use to maintain their weight. You most likely did not have the time and dedication to establish those good, solid habits back then because you were in the throes of dealing with your husband’s illness. So, now is YOUR time. (Fad) DIETS don’t work! (No disrespect to those who post on here who use the 5:2. I know many of you find it very useful—I’m not calling it “fad”). We had WLS so we don’t have to be on DIETS for the rest of our lives. I've found that the formula for WLS eating is really pretty simple: Use food as fuel and medicine for the body. Our bodys' cells and systems know how to process real, whole foods to keep our health and weight in balance. It does not know what to do with all the processed junk food that we feed it, and the results are very predictable (weight gain; potential for disease). You mentioned that you thought the sleeve would help you for the rest of your life. It does and it will always, and it is sitting there ready to help you. But you have to hold up your end of the bargain for the rest of your life. I’m four years out, and like you, I can definitely eat as much as I could before surgery. Yes, I am surprised about that. Yes, I get hungrier than I thought I would. No, I didn’t think that’s how it would be. But I also know that if I eat junky carbs (sugar), my appetite goes way out of control immediately for days after. So, it’s just plain not worth it to me. It IS a CHOICE that we all ultimately must make for ourselves. Do we want to consciously control our food choices for the rest of our lives—or—don’t we? You can replace your fear, Lisa, with your POWER, and you can begin to practice removing “I can’t” and “if only” from your vocabulary! YOU CAN. Period. I know there are so many people here for you...

Greek yogurt, turkey meatballs, turkey chilli, turkey burgers, tuna and egg salad (lowfat mayo) hard boiled eggs, hummus with veggies, canned chicken/salmon mix with dressing/mayo and veg, frozen proteins from trader Joe's, low sodium deli meats and cheeses rolled up.

Just bring a protien shake and a yogurt with you. Put that on the table and eat with the rest of your friends. Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App

Yes, thanks Nikki - what was I thinking? 26K for drugs? *laughs* Sus - If it's on my "approved" list then I'm eating it! :-) I just thought I'd share my post op diet... it's interesting to see the differences in them... I'm typing directly from my instructions. I'm so sorry you're on Clear Liquids only! I promise not to complain about the baby food anymore! :-) Post-Op Diet The following diet is recommended to help recover from the procedure, optimize fat loss and overall h ealth, and to minimize potential muscle wasting. In addition, the post op diet is divided into three stages to help prevent dislocation of the band, pain, and vomiting and to allow gradual adjustment. Stage I (Days 1-14) Meal 1: 1 serving of one of the following: yogurt, sugar free pudding, applesauce, warm Soup or broth, or baby food Meal 2: 1 serving of Myocel (protein shake) Meal 3: 1 serving of one of the following: yogurt, sugar free pudding, applesauce, warm soup or broth, or baby food Meal 4: 1 serving of Myocel (protein shake) Meal 5: 1 serving of one of the following: yogurt, sugar free pudding, applesauce, warm soup or broth, or baby food Meal 6: 1 serving of Myocel (protein shake) Stage II (Days 15-30) Meal 1: 1 serving of one of the following: yogurt, sugar free pudding, applesauce, warm soup or broth, cottage cheese, oatmeal, grits, V8, or baby food Meal 2: 1 serving of Myocel (protein shake) Meal 3: 1 serving of one of the following: pureed meat, pureed vegetables, pureed fruit, pureed soup, mashed potatoes, or V8 Meal 4: 1 serving of Myocel (protein shake) Meal 5: 1 serving of one of the following: pureed meat, pureed vegetables, pureed fruit, pureed soup, mashed potatoes, or V8 Stage III (30 Days +)Meal 1: This will be a cheat meal so we recommend 1 serving of whatever the patient is craving (breads, Pasta, pizza, baked potatoes, sweets, etc.) Notice: Check tolerance levels by taking small bites at first. Meal 2: 1 serving of Myocel (protein shake) Meal 3: 1 serving of any type of lean meat or fish (chicken, pork, turkey, ham, steak, etc.) 1 serving of green vegatables (lettuce, peas, broccoli - only the buds, green Beans, spinach, etc.) Meal 4: 1 serving of Myocel (protein shake) Meal 5: 1 serving of any type of lean meat or fish (chicken, pork, turkey, ham, steak, etc.) 1 serving of green vegatables (lettuce, peas, broccoli - only the buds, green beans, spinach, etc.) GOLDEN RULES FOR POST OP DIET: 1. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly (5-10 minutes for each bite) 2. Stop eating once fullness begins (the patient should feel pressure or a sense of fullness) 3. Avoid fibrous foods (asparagus, pineapple, rhubarb, oranges, and dried fruits, etc.) 4. Do not drink while eating (allow 15 minutes pre or post meals to consume coffee, tea, crystal light, etc.) 5. Do not return to eating after drinking 6. Check tolerance levels by taking small bites at first.

I’m 4 days out of DS and I’ve been trying to sip water all day! I only got about 18 Oz down. I also sipped 2 x 3 oz strained miso soup ate 2 x 2oz sugar free protein pudding, 2 Oz sugar free protein jello, and 1 tablespoon light Greek yogurt. I’m feeling quite week. I do keep my bottle Igor next to me and I take tiny sips every 10 minutes. If you’re in the liquid phase, how are you doing sipping? Any tips?

How often do you east after surgery. I'm about a week out and was curios because today I had maybe ounce and half a yogurt. Maybe t three ounces broth and water watery water.

How much daily protein did your doctor recommend? My doctor said 100g of protein a day (or as close as possible) for life. I've averaged 95g a day since Jan 1. Tuna, chicken, yogurt and cottage cheese are all excellent sources of protein but there's really no way to judge your protein intake without quantities. I drink a Pure Protein 32g shake every day for breakfast. With that big protein first thing in the morning, it's pretty easy to come close to the 100g of protein with other meals the rest of the day. There are days when I'm in the low 80's and a few days when I exceed 100g. I sometimes eat a 20g protein bar to supplement my protein if I'm running low on a particular day. Looking forward to reading the thoughts of others and what their doctors recommend!!

An option for a low cost, high protein low fat meal during your rough patch can be canned tuna, chicken or salmon. I put the tuna and chicken with a teaspoon of mayo and 2 teaspoons of greek yogurt with some onions, celery etc. It is really satisfying as a meal, very high protein, and only about 150 calories.

Keep in mind I'm 15 weeks out tomorrow! Some days are great others are terrible, I want to eat my arm or my husbands, but then I eat something hearty like soft beef or a mini red potato dressed up and feel better, followed by fruit, Propel and Water... All serving sizes unless Soup are typically 2-4oz in either volume or weight. What I ate today: Two egg white bites Apple slices with peabut butter and a date Sushi Rice 1 Peanut Butter cookie Non-fat greek yogurt, made locally, with a sliced banana and mashed strawberry sauce & granola What I ate yesterday: 2 egg white bites - 13g carbs 13gr Protein 170cals 3oz split pea soup (was still full from egg white bites) 1/2 pc pizza (no end crust) 2oz yogurt with granola, half a small organic banana 1 baby potato chopped and mixed with avocado hummus, seasoned rice vinegar and seasonings What I ate two days ago: Thai Cashew Slaw ( I LOVE IT) cheese wedge and almonds More Thai Cashew Slaw (no mayo) Pot salad - 1 baby red potato cooked and chopped, with 1 egg, 1/2 of an avocado, cilantro, herbs, green onion other seasoning. Mashed avocado with herbs and other seasonings to make a dressing Raspberries KEEP ON KEEPING ON! <3 Shana

It depends on the day. Haha. In the early days, I ate 4-6 times per day. Now days I do a complicated rotation. It's the way I maintain my weight. This morning I was 129.4lbs--a Christmas Miracle I'm waiting to see if it sticks or not! If it does yay, if it doesn't I won't be devastated). But I'm at the bottom of a maintenance window I would not be sad to reduce by another 5 lbs to my BDG Goal = Barbie Dream Girl Goal. So it's business as usual for a Thursday for me = Meal 1: B1 - 3 protein lattes with 1oz of Premier Protein + 7 drops Vitacost Liquid Stevia + Decaff + ground cinnamon 1 cup tea (green decaff tea + Earl Grey decaff tea + 1 shot of unfiltered ACV + 1 lemon wedge + cayenne + ground cinnamon) Meal 2 (optional): B2 - I will either eat around 10-11 or I will skip if not hungry. Meal 3: L-Big Ass Salad (1 1/2-2c of salad + 2-3oz dense lean protein + 2-3tbsp Zero Cal Dressing + 1 serving healthy fat (I will eat this until full. Sometimes it's the whole thing and sometimes I finish the balance as my afternoon snack) OR Turkey Cheese Rollup with raw greens and veggies OR Green Soup OR Green Smoothie with fiber OR Can of Sardines and Raw Veggies Meal 4 (optional and regulated by hunger): AS-Either leftovers from lunch OR cup of Herb OX no sodium broth + baby greens + mushrooms OR 1 hardboiled egg OR 3-5 oz of raw veggies + 1/4c fat free Greek Yogurt Dip (Tzaziki, Ranch, Onion, Asian) Meal 5: D-3oz protein + 1-2oz veg + 1oz avo/1oz tom + 1 serving healthy fat or extra cheese Meal 6 (optional and regulated by hunger): BS-usually a decaff + 1oz Premier Protein OR 1-2oz underripe GS Apple or pear + 1tbsp nut butter OR 14g walnuts or almonds OR 1 square 90% Lindt Chocolate + 14g walnuts or almonds

Do you add the yogurt to your oatmeal? On my sample menus I have a lot of “add a scoop of unflavored protein powder” for foods like oatmeal, cottage cheese, ricotta, mashed potatoes etc and I tried it once. Just once. 🤮 I think the menu creators in my program maybe have not tried unflavored protein powder in their foods. So gross! glad for the forum so we can help each other. 🙂

No I hv not tried using unflavored protein to anything.. I do mix my yogurt w my protein drink w some fruit. That usually makes 3 8ozs cups. &that's usually my meals for the day w my water. I don't like mash potatoes. i do like cottage cheese & string cheese. The powder protein drinks are grainy but I'll tolerate it.

So I am almost at the end of my 4th month and it seems I am getting full lot faster than before 🤷🏻‍♀️ Like the amount, I was able to eat, now I can't as much. Before I was okay eating around 0.75 cup (half of it is usually yogurt) but now I feel stuffed with the same level, so I have reduced the portion size a little to may be 0.5 to 0.6 cup or incorporate less solid and more semi solid like yogurt (which I usually have with every meal for my protein as a vegetarian eater). I don't know if anyone has experienced similar trajectory. Not sure if I should be concerned? Because I am studying, I am not as active. I do make sure to walk about 45 mins to an hour a day but that's mostly my activity other than some chores here and there. So I can't eat more than 3 to 4 meals a day and calories have kinda reduced too (between 600 to 800). I don't know, guess I am rambling but I am unable to eat as much to increase my calories. My dietician said usually patients on our program are around 1000 calories around 6 months mark, so I think I am alright but if I feel stuffed, I can't manage to eat much.

I love to mix yogurt (all flavors) with cottage cheese. It ups the Protein but it’s really good. You can also add some sugar free yellow or pudding mix (powdered) I love it with pepper and I eat green onions with it like you would a carrot but I can’t eat those right now.

I've low carbed a lot to control my PCOS, so I'm pretty comfortable following the regime. I don't tend to eat a lot of processed foods because I have 2 small children and I like for them to have homemade meals, so I used fitday.com to enter in my ingredients and used the nutritional information they supplied. My menu from yesterday is: Breakfast: 2 egg mushroom omelet: 196 calories, 6 carbs, 14 grams Protein Snack: 3 large strawberries and 3 slices of starfruit: 19 calories, 5 carbs Lunch: 4 shish kebabs (8 ounces of steak, 1/2 cup sliced summer squash, 1/2 cup zucchini, 1/2 of sliced mushrooms, a little bit of onion): 452 calories, 8 carbs, 65 grams protein Dinner: Homemade Thai inspired lettuce cups (6, using Boston lettuce, 1.25 cups ground beef cooked with diced straw mushrooms, baby corn, and peanut sauce (chicken stock, soy sauce, natural Peanut Butter with no added sugar, chili, ginger, and other spices): 653 calories, 4 carbs, 39 grams protein. Dessert: 1/2 cup Plain yogurt, sweetened with Splenda: 75 calories, 6 carbs, 4 grams protein Daily totals: 1395 calories, 29 carbs (6 of which are fiber), and 122 grams protein. Tuna salad is also really good in lettuce cups, especially if you sprinkle some seeds on it for crunch. I like to use pumpkin seeds.