Search the Community

Hello BariatricPal Community! We are thrilled to announce the launch of our latest product, specially designed for our amazing community of bariatric patients. Introducing the BariatricPal Prenatal & Postnatal Bariatric Multivitamin with Mint Tab Insert! Why We Created This Multivitamin: We understand that bariatric patients have unique nutritional needs, especially during pregnancy and postpartum recovery. Our new multivitamin is formulated to provide the comprehensive nutritional support that you and your baby need during this critical time. Key Features and Benefits: Comprehensive Nutrient Profile: Our multivitamin is packed with essential vitamins and minerals to support maternal health and fetal development: Vitamins: High levels of vitamins A, C, D, E, and B complex to support energy, immunity, and overall health. Minerals: Includes iron, magnesium, zinc, and other essential minerals to support bone health, blood health, and metabolic functions. Additional Nutrients: Contains DHA and other essential fatty acids for fetal brain development and maternal health. Enhanced Support: Includes Vitamin K2 and Choline Bitartrate for additional nutritional benefits. Bariatric-Specific Formulation: Designed for women who have had bariatric surgery, ensuring optimal absorption and utilization of nutrients. Mint Tab Insert for Freshness: Say goodbye to unpleasant vitamin odors! Our multivitamin is the first bariatric prenatal multivitamin to include a mint tab insert. This innovative feature infuses your vitamins with a refreshing peppermint scent, making daily intake a more enjoyable experience. Most Affordable Option: We are proud to offer the most cost-effective bariatric prenatal multivitamin without compromising on quality. Dietary-Friendly: Gluten-free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free – perfect for those with dietary restrictions. High-Quality Manufacturing: Produced in a cGMP-certified Facility, ensuring the highest quality and safety standards. Designed For: Women before, during, and after pregnancy, especially those who have undergone weight loss surgeries such as RNY Gastric Bypass, Gastric Sleeve, Duodenal Switch, and other malabsorptive procedures. Directions for Use: Take 2 capsules daily, preferably with meals or as directed by your healthcare professional. With the BariatricPal Prenatal & Postnatal Bariatric Multivitamin with Mint Tab Insert, you can be confident that you are providing the best care for your and your baby's health during this critical time. We are incredibly excited to share this new product with you and look forward to hearing your feedback. Together, we can make your pregnancy journey healthier and more enjoyable! Check it out on our store here.

I'm having surgery on Thursday, and I'm on a modified liquid diet. According to the nurse and the paperwork, I need to get 70-80g of protein and 64 oz of fluid a day and I'm allowed 1 meal a day (3oz of meat and 1c raw or ¹/2 c cooked veg) all the way up until 6 hours before surgery. This seems odd to me. They are cutting into my intestines. If i have eaten 6 hours before won't there still be food in my guts? I want to have the best outcome possible and am thinking of doing all liquid starting tomorrow night.

Ooh, that actually sounds pretty good! You just reminded me that I have a nice NSA barbecue sauce (from whatever Guy Fieri's brand is, lol) in my fridge. I used to love bbq chicken pizza, I wonder what kind of bariatric-monstrosity I could come up with. I know I have some protein wraps from FlatOut in my freezer that I haven't worked up to trying yet.

When in hospital I suffered from dry mouth as I wasn't able to drink or eat for periods so the nurses would give me lemon flavoured glycerine sticks, I would rub it on my lips and gums. Maybe you can get some in your pharmacy - they are just like large cotton buds with liquid in them. Picture below of what I was given. Would home made ice pops be of any help? When at home I made some for my liquid stage just with sugar free jello powder and plain protein powder mixed together. Could help you get in some liquids and protein plus the sucking/melting aspect may help with the dry mouth.

I think my least favorite part of surgery has to be these Lovenox injections. Twice a day on top of the bruising I already have is rough. I kind of broke down and advanced my diet to full fluids. They had me at clears until Thursday and I just couldn’t do it anymore. I’ve been tolerating everything so far so I had a Fairlife. I was fine. I haven’t been able to find a clear protein that I like. SEEQ is super sweet, Protein20 I only like the orange mango, I bought Isopure and tried mixing it with a flavor packet and it tasted weird. I can’t wait until I can do real food again.

Hi other newbie here! Pre op was difficult during those periods for me too. As I'm sure nuts/surgeons and everyone here repeats a billion times (lol) protein helps you stay fuller longer, so up your protein even pre op to help keep sated and if you haven't already- avoid caffeine and sugar *now*, they can worsen hunger cravings. I cut both cold turkey and would reach for a protein bar if I had a snack attack. But I think the most helpful was people distracting me from hunger. Get out more, get busy with a task that requires your focus, socialize more, do anything to keep your mind off it. If you're stationary and doing something like playing video games or reading, that hunger sneaks up on you real quick! I also recommend this post surgery (but don't do anything your bariatric team says not to!), as being active and busy distracted me during the healing process and some phase struggles. Hope this helps!

Please add the option to list a second surgery to our profile if possible. I’m thinking it’s kinda confusing to people that I am asking questions about pre op when I had surgery three years ago. Also please add the SADI surgery to the list of surgeries as well.

Find something you enjoy doing. While I have been a gym rat forever, I always take up things that I look forward to and it has to always be sustainable for me. So some years ago I took up tennis and would go twice a week, I also took up Taekwondo, martial arts and now Pilates. My two Pilates classes a week are the highlights of my week, I look forward to them and I shop cute workout outfits weekly because I like to look good when I go. It is much easier to build on the workouts (movement) you enjoy, so if you enjoy a certain activity (swimming, cycling, tennis, padel, Pilates, yoga, hiking, dancing, whatever it is) you will always feel a bit more motivated to build on that. So for me, I go for Pilates twice a week and I lift and do strength and conditioning another 3 days a week to add to my classes. I love jogging, HIIT and plyos and do that for my cardio, but even brisk walking is really really good to maintain weight loss. Keep it simple. Also, I find it much draining to workout after work, so I workout at 5:30 AM before work (except for my Pilates classes because my studio doesn't run classes that early), this allows me to get it out of the way and have my evenings free to do what I like (which is be with my kids, bake, chill). It also helps that I have a fully equipped gym at home that I have built. I always kept weights, a bench, jump rope and resistance band at my old house and would mostly workout at home early in the morning, if you can keep some weights, a walking pad and some resistance bands at home (if it is an option) do that, it works great for busy days or mornings where you don't have time/the will to go to the gym. This is what has worked for me. It has to be enjoyable and sustainable for you.

Mine is readymade too but Im sure like anything else it will vary from brand to brand. What brand is yours without whey? Will be good to know if Dairy is an issue for me post SADI because I like the protein water better than the shakes. What’s so difficult for me is that I can’t see the darn labels. 😆. Im just getting to this stage in life so I never have my readers when I need them. I usually take a picture so I can zoom in to read it. Pain in the butt.

Officially 8 weeks and 2 days Post-op and honestly I'm pretty comfortable with my progress though a little disappointed with my hydration. The weight loss is steady, protein intake was a little tricky but I think I got it, and keeping up with physical activity has been smooth. Last month's first follow up with the nutritionist did get under my skin, I questioned returning to my previous vitamins vs these nasty Flinstones...and she went on and on about my calcium, iron and protein levels wouldn't be sufficient due to me not eating meat. I explained I had no problem taking additional calcium or iron IF necessary, and finding new ways to add my protein BUT I wanted to see how my bloodwork came back. She finally conceded in saying "well, you're an adult, if you want to take more vitamins that's your choice". I mean OBVIOUSLY it is my choice and her condescending tone is one of the many reasons I've never cared for nutritionist. Nevertheless, guess who's blood work is PERFECT?! In other news, I will say this ketosis stage, while extremely beneficial... it is giving me the "ick" with side effects, smells, body odor etc... I've introduced some carbs hoping things will balance out but it seems to be a slow process. Uranalysis confirmed I'm still burning ketones sooooo there's that. 🤷🏽‍♀️but when will these side effects end ? Speaking of introducing carbs... I had a small bowl (4 oz) of mac and cheese (chickpea pasta)... this is a true trigger food for me, but I ate it, I enjoyed it and I moved on... it wasn't until the next day, I was thinking wow, I really didn't "Want" another bowl... "I'm good". In the head scratching category... I overheard my co-workers having a convo about individuals on the show "My 600lb life"... DISCLAIMER: I say overheard loosely, there's 3 of us in a small room, they were speaking freely as we usually do but I had my earbuds on and wasn't a part of the beginning of the convo. While I can't say I've ever watched a full episode, I am familiar with the premise of the title as well as what "reality shows" really entail when it comes to production and I'm sure I've caught a snippet of an episode on a meme, commercial etc. They also do not know I've had a procedure. I digress, at some point in the convo, they were both giving their opinions on "how could someone let it get so bad"..." when your pants stop fitting..." "when you're out of breath walking from house to mailbox..." etc. and while I have no doubt that they did not have malicious intentions nor have I personally fit into any of these examples... I suddenly became very offended. I even thought to myself have I lost that much weight that this is how "skinny" people speak freely among you ? (The answer is no, regarding me... I've lost a good amount, but they've known me for several years...at my heaviest). I thought, are they thinking I'm really deep into my work and not paying attention ? (The answer is no, we always engage with each other based off of body language to get the others attention and they were engaging). The answer boiled down to, they were just ignorant to the reasons this could happen to someone and the fact that reality tv has a way of making people look and behave at their worse. So I chimed in with "As a fellow big girl..." and explained to them that food addiction is real, and it's real easy to forget that unlike, drugs and alcohol, people have to eat for survival/nutrition and if you are addicted to such it's easy to forget how someone can "let it get so bad", there are also health issues and medication side effects. They were both receptive and admitted that didn't even consider that thought. We went on to talk about the state of "healthy" food choices, labels, vending machines in schools and all. But I definitely walked away from that convo scratching my head because they are both thin and love to eat and not always the "healthy" stuff... so I'm thinking it didn't occur to you others JUST CAN'T do that. Anyways, it was an experience and I'm glad I had it.

My go-to marinara brand is Bove's, which is made in Vermont and only contains plum tomatoes, olive oil, fresh onions, fresh garlic, salt, and fresh spices. It's delicious, but is pricey and can be harder to find if you aren't in New England. But the one I will get if I'm not able to find Bove's (or if I'm feeling like a cheaper option) is Ragu Kettle Cooked tomato basil, which you can get at Walmart and Target for under $3 a jar. It's about as close to homemade as you will find from a bigger brand and the ingredients look like things you keep in the kitchen. The turkey meatballs are fresh but precooked from Shady Brook Farms and can be found in a lot of grocery stores. The ingredient list is kind of terrible, though. They are tasty and heat up in 2 minutes, but once I actually looked at all the crap in them (I tossed them in the cart without checking), I will probably opt for a frozen version in the future if I don't want to make homemade. Speaking of frozen, they make frozen zucchini spirals, and I think you can get butternut squash and beet spirals, too. When made with fresh (not frozen) ingredients, I just toss it all in a bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Dinner done!

I definitely recommend to take it easy and absolutely listen to your body! a little bit at a time I started with trying yogurt and protein and then all of a sudden my body didn’t tolerate it and I had to go back to clear liquids. Definitely continue with the medication. Those have been a blessing to me. I am going to stay on Nexium for the next two months per my doctor. Do not do the vitamins. I would definitely recommend wait on vitamins until your purée stage if you have a delicate stomach. Vitamin and vitamins and I think that’s what really affected my stomach and why I had to river back to liquids. Congratulations on your surgery.!!

I am only 6months out and I eat more than the average sleever..so my doc told me. I also workout 6 days a week and am active. I cannot eat 1.5C of food. if I want to add a veg or carb to a meal then I will eat 2C of protein and then some veggies and if I have room like 1-2 TBLS of carbs. I eat around 1200-1300 calories but my protein is around 130-150g. I fear that I have stretched out my sleeve but I never eat to being full. ok ok maybe once or twice. but I don't feel sick or miserable just like I might eaten too fast. Anywho, For lunch today I made a jalapeno chicken salad with bacon bits and I was able to eat 4oz of that with 1/2 bag of quest chips. and I am good for about 2-3hours. So I think that equates to .5C? its a constant worry I think for all of us to not mess this up. I know for me I fear that I will wake up and be 300lbs again and that fear makes me stop eating shi&&y. I think my comment mightve been a tangent...Ill get off my soap box LOL

I wish I had a suggestion.. Unfortunately you've eliminated my suggestions for jello/pudding protein additions that would qualify for the liquid diet portion of bariatric programs.... I just added both to different soups etc. Good luck!

I am so bored of drinking water, I'm fine in the morning I do some clear protein, and have a few different flavours. I usually finish that in the early afternoon, and then I start to struggle. I'll try some fruit juice and see if it gives me some more motivation with it.

@BlueParis I’m sure you’re really happy to be home and WTG on the weight loss! @NickelChip I’m usually able to get between 60-70 gms of protein a day in with no shakes most days…..I eat a lot of tuna, Greek yogurt, buffalo chicken dip, and my new favorite is chicken pizza crust pizza. I also occasionally eat canned turkey chili with no beans in it for lunch mainly cause it’s soft and high in protein but a little different than what I’m usually eating. I’m definitely getting bored with my food choices but anytime I try and add in stuff I end up coming up short on protein and have to drink a shake. 🤢I use liquacel also. They gave it to me in the hospital and I prefer it to shakes. It’s 16 gms of collagen protein ( it is a complete protein and my nutritionist is ok with it) it’s super sweet but I just mix it with a little water and I’m good. @RonHall908 and I’m with you guys on the slow weight loss train also so it must be pretty normal although irritating. Lol @LisaCaryl I’m glad your nausea is getting better. Maybe you’d like the liquacel to help with your protein since you don’t eat meat. You can buy them in one dose packets so you could try them before you bought a bottle of it. I like the peach mango one the best but it is super sweet so not sure if it’s for ev1 but maybe an option for some of y’all needing a protein boost with no shakes 🤷🏼‍♀️ https://store.bariatricpal.com/products/liquacel-liquid-protein-1oz-packets-flavors?variant=5067375607845 heres the single serve packets but I ended up buying the multiple dose bottles directly from the manufacturer cause it was cheaper. https://globalhp.com/shop/liquacel-liquid-protein/

On the one hand, the farther out from surgery you get, the more you can physically eat. This is normal at a year post-op, and may have coincided with the timing of your poor food choices. But if you have been going "off track" by eating a bunch of slider foods, that will in part explain why you don't feel any restriction. The more you focus on eating lean protein and high-fiber veggies, the more full you will likely feel. Your tool never goes away, but your nutrition becomes even more important the more your body can eat. My suggestion is to skip the "pouch reset" where you go through the stages of food. There's nothing magical about eating puree and drinking shakes. You were supposed to do that because your stomach had just been slice open and stapled up. What you should do is go back to a bariatric diet. This means eating protein first, veggies second, carbs third. It means portion control, eating at planned intervals, avoiding sugar and fat. It means waiting 30 minutes after you eat before you drink (not because you can't physically drink, but because doing so can contribute to hunger), and making sure you get a minimum of 64oz of water every day (but 90 oz is probably better). Instead of revisiting the first few weeks after surgery, meet your body where it is now. Plan three high protein, healthy meals for yourself each day. For breakfast, you might try making two eggs, a serving of spinach, and some roasted sweet potato. For lunch, you could try a salad with 4 oz of chicken and some black beans, plus lots of veggies. For dinner, make yourself 4 oz of salmon, a serving of broccoli, and a serving of quinoa. Space your meals evenly throughout the day, around 5 hours apart. See if that amount of food fills you up. If it does, you're pretty much where you probably should be at this stage. If it doesn't, add more veg to your plate at meal times, and allow yourself up to two healthy snacks, such some fresh raw veggies and a ranch dip made from Greek yogurt, and maybe a bowl of fresh berries with Coolwhip and nuts for dessert. My guess is, if you focus on eating the right things and not eating simple carbs and high fat comfort foods, you will start feeling much better.

I didn't know there were different sizes and no idea what % of mine is gone. After a year I can still feel the restriction, unable to eat too much and rarely hungry though I can take larger sips now. Have gulped a few times totally forgetting there isn't space 😂 Eating now is more of a habit than needing to, had to force myself today to eat some lunch as just wasn't hungry at all but managed 50g cauliflower and 30g hummus. Example of what I can manage; Breakfast is a 125g or 150g yoghurt 99% of the time or sometimes a couple of small protein or banana pancakes as a treat. Lunch is usually homemade soup (150ml) or homemade dinner leftovers or half a shop bought salad (with falafal or chicken) My dinners are again 99% of the time homemade and would still be about 150ml in liquid dishes such as soup/dhals or 4 to 5oz for a bean stew/chicken dish. A while after dinner I will then have something for dessert such as two squares of 85% dark chocolate or a yogurt or a handful of nuts. In between if I can, I try to have a snack mid morning and mid afternoon. like some cottage cheese banana bread, nuts, protein bar etc. Eating out can be super annoying now when I see lots of things on a menu I would like and then realise that in all reality all I can manage is a starter but it does mean my food and dining out bills have dropped so much and if I don't finish it I usually ask to bring it home and it does another meal or three. When I go on holidays in a couple of weeks I have booked dinners out at three Michelin restaurants that have a menu you can chose from so it means for me just one course in each and it will be a bargain compared to having to usually order the 6 or 10 courses.

Hey! I'm SO glad your pain is better managed now than it was a few days ago! I totally hear you about the passing gas (and btw I need to go back to tagging multiple people in a reply, feel like I spammed this board >. ) I'm nervous about taking too much stool softener because I know with the SADI loose stools can be a thing but at the same time with all these danged protein shakes I'm just not sure the colace 2x day is doing enough. I hope bowel movements level out for me soon; I've gone from one extreme to the other once already and don't want to do it again lol -- We made it to the other side, though! I'm so happy for you and hope your recovery continues to go smoothly. I'm interested in the binder thing people keep talking about - I wonder if they didn't do that with me because I had the SADI/SIPS instead. (For those not familiar with the SADI/SIPS, it's basically just starting with the sleeve and the surgery they most commonly do to revise it by shortening the intestinal tract beneath in place of the Gastric Bypass right off the start - I chose it because I wanted to eventually be able to take NSAIDS and there's a thread here that discusses the SADI/SIPS more. My surgery was still laparoscopic and recovery has been about the same from what I see, just fewer points of connection internally to heal) I'm also excited for all the rest of you folks with upcoming surgeries! I don't want to spam anymore but did want to say to @Singingbarista and @AndreaJD that the insights you've offered were super helpful, especially in terms of 'telling others' about the surgery. That's GREAT advice - to say you've been working with a dietician and weight loss clinic. You're so right; it shouldn't matter what others think but women especially have long been taught to seek approval. It's just another thing to relearn and the amount of support on this forum has been absolutely fantastic. I finally got a delivery of Premier shakes this evening in flavors OTHER than chocolate, French vanilla, and Mocha and oh my goodness it's SO nice to taste something strawberry-ish! I didn't want to keep responding to each post independently but to those who had very little notice about the surgery date - that's for sure a mixed blessing! Less time to prepare, but less time to be nervous about it, I guess? Sometimes it's easier to just plunge in (as long as you feel educated and ready!) To all of you going through the liquid diets, especially if you feel hungry during it - I'd suggest you might really want to consider trying some of the 30g protein shakes. I was very worried that I would be hungry but those are surprisingly filling, especially if you drink a lot of sugar free flavored water / Gatorade / Powerade of some kind. And don't forget you can enjoy sugar free popsicles, flavored warm broths, fat free cottage cheese, sugar free pudding, sugar free jell-o, and sugar free yogurt (usually - I mean, obviously follow the guidelines you were given by your surgical team!) The pudding can be made with protein shakes to help with your protein intake instead of milk, and if you match the flavors it's actually quite tasty and filling.

Team meat! I do like to have my pea protein shake with coffee in the morning though. It doesn’t interfere with morning exercise.

I haven't lightened my hair since August due to the fact that I ended up damaging it and I don't want to use lightened anymore until my hair is healthy again. I only use a semi permanent color which won't damage because there's no developer in it. I dont go to the salon. I have my license so I do my own hair. I know our hair is made up of protein (keratin). I know my problem is not getting that protein in. Why do I struggle with it so much? The Collagen I take has biotin in it. I just wanted to know if there was something along with protein that would help. I take my vitamins.every day. Nothing came up in blood work saying I was lacking anything. I had blood work done in february and last month. Both came back good. I did cut off a good amount of my hair back in April I think it was. It was about 2 and a half to 3 inches. I also keep my hair up in a bun cause I don't like the way it looks down lol. I like it out of my face too tho

Well, I will tell you that after my sleeve, there was nothing that I could not tolerate. I’m pretty early out post revision so I haven’t tried many of those foods with the exception of tacos but I haven’t had any issues with anything so far. I make tacos with ground turkey meat, 2% cheese, and just eat the filling or I have it with low-carb tortillas. Surprisingly the turkey meat and the 2% cheese do not taste much different at all by the time you add the seasoning and them little low-carb tortilla aren’t bad either. Sometimes I just do it as a salad too. You may be surprised to find that you don’t crave those same foods, though. The surgery does some metabolic changes and can change the foods that you enjoy. I mean, don’t get me wrong, pizzas still sounds good to me but all of a sudden grilled fish doesn’t sound bad either so it’s a lot easier to make the healthier choice. It really depends on what your purpose is for the surgery. If you’re only goal was to get rid of your Gerd, then you may not care about getting into a super skinny size in which case eating smaller portions of the foods you enjoyed before shouldn’t be an issue at all. But if your goal is also weight loss and you want to be able to maintain a very low BMI, then you’re going to have to make some sacrifices. In which case, my suggestion would be to search the bariatric websites and even the thread on here for recipes and try some things once you get to soft foods and regular foods. You may be surprised at things that you will enjoy. I make turkey meatballs, and I have those with peppers and onions and sauce which are delicious, turkey tacos are good too, chili with lean meat is pretty reasonable macro wise, white chicken chili is a favorite, I made a Mexican skillet that wasn’t bad macro wise you may enjoy if you like Mexican, I sometimes do the zucchini noodles if I want pasta. They are pretty bland and just pick up the flavor of whatever sauce you use and of course you will want to add some protein. I also found a recipe for spring rolls which some people call summer rolls that are so yummy. They’re not the fried ones but still really good. It’s chicken, avocado and veggies with peanut sauce to dip. These are all in the weight loss phase once I get to maintenance I can add things to jazz them up a bit You can also do chicken or cauliflower crust pizza with chicken and veggies so it has more protein Or cauliflower mac & cheese. Lean beef cheeseburger without the bun, a cheeseburger salad or low carb cheeseburger wrap. There are ways to tweak your favorites. Basically anything I am craving. I just type it in Google with the word healthy in front of it and I try some recipes until I find one I like. Some of it is bland but many things are surprisingly good. One that I still want to try is zucchini lasagna. After doing the ricotta bake on purée stage and loving it, my guess it that it’s good I still make the ricotta bake I just add Turkey sausage and veggies. Ooh and quest protein chips are really good once you can do crunchy. Also, they have an “ice cream” maker that you can control the ingredients I have heard some people talking about on here But the short answer is No, unless you have a specific intolerance, allergy or sensitivity you will not have to give up your favorite foods forever. You will just have to make tradeoffs. How often you can have them will be based on what weight you are looking to maintain. If you are willing to exercise, for instance, you will be able to eat more carbs and maintain at a lower weight.

I did 2 things preop that helped immensely: 1) this may sound weird but i guessed i’d be in a little pain from the incisions so a couple of days before going into the clinic i move everything i figured i’d need in the first week post up to middle shelves in my kitchen/fridge : cups, scales, protein shakes and powders etc. And thank god i did because i had abdominal muscle pain (like i’d done 10000 crunches) and was told not to bend down for a while. 2) i wrote out « meal » plans from what my dietician provided in order to clearly see what time of day i’d eat (protein shakes) and drink (water). I’m the kind of person who needs a set plan that’s clear and that i can follow because i was lost the first few days. I wrote out 4 weeks of meal plans and i varied the shakes and purées and soups so i didn’t get sick of one specific one (never ate the same one 2 meals in a row and alternated with the next day). Not sure it actually helped my experience but it did help me see clearly mentally 🤣

First, don't panic! And don't compare your progress to others, if you can help it. I agree with everything Nickel said -- including the book rec. Kristin Willard's Bariatric Meal Prep is a great resource, and I also really like "The High-Protein Bariatric Cookbook" by Stacey Gulbin and "Fresh Start Bariatric Cookbook" by Sarah Kent. I think a good Bariatric book might help cover some of the information you've been missing from your 'care-team'. Is it possible that you've been focusing extra/too much on calories and not enough on what makes up those calories? My team told me that calories can be important (especially later on) but the first several months it was definitely more about making sure you're getting enough nutrients. 60-80 g protein per day minimum -- my team told me for me personally, she'd actually recommend 70-90g -- and definitely 3 meals a day (+ 1-2 protein-geared snacks). If you have to make them smaller at first since you're used to eating two meals, that should be ok. Maybe while you get back into a regular routine, make one of your meals a protein shake or protein bar? It was suggested to me that both my day (and each meal) should be 50-60% protein, and the rest of my plate should be mostly non-starchy veg -- with any starchy veg or complex carb coming in at 10-15% (20% max). The types of carbohydrates can be really important too. A whole grain/whole wheat item or a starchy but nutritious veg is going to put you in a much better place than a processed corn taco or white tortilla. Are you taking any supplements? Also, maybe check out local nutritionists and see if any of them have experience with bariatric patients.

Do you have any protein shakes you like rhat you can tolorate? And do you like coffee? If so, have you tried “proffee”. I don’t like to cook in morning so even after 3.5 years And all my good habits going out the window, I still enjoy my proffee for breakfast. I was so relieved fbaf my dr is not a stickler on caffeine so I can still have it on my LSD for revision. Well up until the last two days of all liquid. Only because I can’t stand black coffee