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Well, a properly done sleeve will not stretch. As you continue to heal, the swelling will go down and your volume will increase slightly. This is normal. I do think you are getting in some slider foods like mashed potatoes. Chunky soup is also not your best option. If you stick to firm Proteins, vegetables, cheese and Beans, you will feel your restriction quicker and stay full longer. Of course, follow your nutritionists guidelines. I'm not sure where you are on your food progression. At six weeks, I was still on soft... Edit. Reread your op. You are still on soft as well. Try sticking to soft proteins like fish and crab and saucy meats. Cheese is great, and of course yogurt, beans and avocado. Mashed Taters are amazing but they aren't your friend.

My favorite is Dannon Triple Zero yogurt with a scoop of Genepro unflavored protein powder added. If it's not sweet enough you can add a touch of stevia. Basically, you may need to just add protein powder to everything possible. You should be eating protein at every meal or snack, and eat it first. My best weight loss has happened when I finally got enough protein consistently. You can still lose weight without it, but you risk losing muscle mass. It is helpful if you can get protein in your liquids if you're falling short with your food. Good luck to you!

@H.150ToGo I was 12/8 I don't think you see the weight come off that fast. I've lost 70 in total (most pre-op) and no one has noticed. Lol are you still swollen? I am, that may be not helping with weight loss yet. I don't think I'm getting enough protein yet just doing my best to drink and take vitamins. So far no issues although worried about the iron I'm about to take. When I was prego it would make me throw up. Fingers crossed!! I'm realizing smarter to add protein powder in yogurt or soup will give me more for my bang but need to get unflavoured for soup. I think I got 60 think it's suppose to be 80. I also use soy milk to mix which has more protein then milk. It is hard Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My doctor is very detailed oriented that's for sure. What were you allowed to have during your first week? Sent from my SamsungGalaxy using BariatricPal App Just liquids. I'm starting week 3 tomorrow, and I am finally allowed to start on some softer foods. I have tried mash potatoes, greek yogurt, and chicken, and Beans already. Happy to report it all went well. I can't have more than one teaspoon at a time though. Or else just like a little baby it gets stuck, and I may have to get it up again. (disgusting) I hope you are doing well during your week 3. I was able to start week 3 on Friday. I was so sick of mashed potatoes after week 2. I'm also so glad to be off the Protein shakes. I'm able to have 1/2 an egg, up to 1/4 cup of tuna, 1/4 - 1/2 piece of whole wheat toast or 1-2 crackers. Sent from my SamsungGalaxy using BariatricPal App

Disney Princess Character Breakfast today . Egg white frittata with chopped tomato, cilantro, avocado and lime. Husband ate my hash browns. My sons girlfriend, Gaby at my (4 strips!) bacon. Aaron ate my danish, yogurt and fruit, except on chinch of pineapple. Many photos where taken... I already walked 4 miles today before I can back to the hotel to swim. I fell earlier today so I might need an old lady scooter this afternoon as we will be in the park from 5pm till closing... we'll see. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm there as well!!! I am on day 3 and it's does get better each day. I am having low fat cottage cheese as a snack, greek yogurt and i have had some chicken broth and that feels so good. I have been having a lot if Water, abt 80+ oz p day in addition to diet snapple and some decaf coffee. The first day headaches are gone but working in a team environment where everyone is ordering team lunch and dinner is the hardest test on my will power. I had a dream I ate some bread without realizing it smh. I wish you all the best on this journey and keep it up we are strong xoxo Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Don't try meat yet. At 6 weeks in all meats are harsh except potted meat. eggs are gone. Pasta and rice...no. I still eat Soups and soft hot cereals. Some yogurt. Lost my taste for cottage cheese. Sent from my SGH-M919 using the BariatricPal App

I was sleeved on Monday dec 5 , since then I have had no problems getting all my fluids and proteins in at all. I don't feel full and I don't have any trouble swallowing. I eat cream of wheat for breakfast , a protein shake for snack, a cream soup for lunch another protein shake for snack and usually some more soup for dinner with some unflavored protein powder in it. If I want I may have some yogurt or pudding later in the evening. Is this too much? I don't feel uncomfortably full at all, I don't really feel a restriction when eating although I am measuring my portions to stay on plan, I just see all these people having all the problems and only getting in like 400 calories where I am easily getting in 700-900 calories a day. Help am I doing something wrong?

I remember a couple times first week thinking I felt hungry, but it's not real hunger, it's just a trick played on your nerves because your stomach is healing. Once you try a couple bites of yogurt or pudding, you'll quickly realize that feeling is not true hunger, and also it went away by week 2 for me. mentally, you're also not used to the new stomach and still thinking about food the way you did with your stomach pre-op. Just drink liquids and eat sugar free popsickls. The sugar free popsickles and sugar free Jello would also fill me up when i got that gnawing feelling

I can still have eggs and cheese, Nonfat Greek yogurt, and FairLife milk. I asked about those. And I got GENEPRO to add to smoothies or other foods. I'm still going to cover my tush to at least get Protein. I'm just basically saying I was stressed not to count nutritional numbers. I wanted to see if my program was similar to everyone else's. Regardless, I have to follow their plan, he's my only choice of doctor and I have to drive nearly 6 hours to see him lol. But they have been doing this program many years, so I just hope it works. Something must be right if they are still in business and have nearly a 5 star rating. I was just a bit shocked is all. Still a bit lost as to exactly where to start on the bean portion. I've never been much of a bean eater lol. Guess I will learn. I have Beano on hand at least lol! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I know on the puree phase I only at Protein cottage cheese, eggs, yogurt, cream chicken Soup with Protein powder and shakes. If your going to eat Beans no pinto beans they have alot of sugar. Sent from my LG-K330 using the BariatricPal App

I thought I would just share my story to pay it forward to somebody else thinking of getting this surgery done. My highest weight. In my life was 230 pounds. After the pre-op diet I got down to 220. I am 5'2" tall. So here I am at five months out and the happiest I've ever been. I went from wearing clothes that was 2 xl to wearing clothes that are size medium. I few days ago when I weighed myself I was 142 pounds. So I am currently down 88 pounds overall!! The bottom line is that I would do this surgery again in a heartbeat even if it cost twice as much. We have one life to live, and we should live the healthiest life possible. The only downside that I have found and is not a big deal is I have become lactose intolerant. I now drink Almond milk, I can still have cheese yogurt and ice cream. I just can't have regular milk. If anyone has any questions at all don't hesitate to message me, I'm an open book.

My surgeon told me that I should start eating soft foods at this point. But, most of the time when I try something other than liquid (or yogurt, pudding, shake), it feels like there is a painful rock filling up my stomach. I had some french onion Soup which really just had pieces of boiled onion in it and a soggy crouton, but it hurt. I also tried thoroughly chewing a couple bites of toast. Same thing. I also have some nausea but haven't actually thrown up. So my question is whether this could be a stricture? Or is it just my stomach is particular sensitive and I need to let heal longer? Oddly, I've been able to eat some string cheese without a problem, but that's about it. So, I'm really hoping it's not a stricture.

I feel really good now that I'm home. My worst pain is actually headaches. I'm drinking caffeinated black tea to help them. I'm sure it is a struggle to dish up your families meals! I have mental hunger and trying to ignore it of course. My surgeons requirements to introduce normal foods is very strict compared to others I have read about. I won't have a regular diet for the next 11 weeks! So I'm very much looking forward to trying milk and yogurt next week as I enter phase 2, full liquids. Take care! Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App

This liquid diet is no joke! I am trying to not pay attention to the days left to go on it since it seems like they are going so slow... Although I feel weird because I am eating quiet a lot... I am having a hard boiled egg as a snack, 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese (may be a cup...) and also non-fat greet yogurt. It was very comforting to have hot chicken broth. (all in between my Protein shakes) The headache is not going away... anyone else feeling this? I alse get tons of thoughts about this...what am I doing? I miss food! I am starting to mourn my relationship with food and ready to start a new one...

@@dmw0621 - yes, I haven't had a stomach discomfort at all, but my bariatric team modified my liquids so that I only drink water, clear broth, herbal tea and jello. I was told that for me, the blander the better but I'll let you know if anything changes tomorrow as I start my phase two which is shakes although my doctor isn't pushing the protein powder yet. I'll be able to drink non-fat milk, shakes with natural fruit , yogurt, thin cream of wheat or rice and pumpkin and sweet potato soup.

The first few weeks can be challenging for many - physically and psychologically. Your stomach and your mind have to acclimate to profound changes. It's also common for your weight to fluctuate more then. I didn't even weigh myself for the first couple of weeks because I anticipated having gained weight from the anesthesia pumped into me for the surgery, and then a roller coaster of gain and loss as my body healed. I anticipated the infamous "three week stall" so many others experienced. I hadn't wanted to be discouraged, so I had my husband put the scale on a shelf that requires dragging out the step ladder to reach until things were more stabilized. I wouldn't really quantify the three pounds you gained as actual weight gain, considering that it came on the heels of a 17 pound rapid weight loss. Anytime you lose weight too fast it's common to gain some of it back. It's why the trendy juice cleanses and detox quackery usually cause people to drop weight fast, and then gain a portion of it back even faster. To me the positive to focus on is that you lost 17 pounds, but only gained back three of it. Meaning you've already lost 14 pounds since surgery just a few weeks ago. If you had a child who was recovering from a surgery and prescribed a diet specifically designed to help her heal, would you permit her to defy it and eat things that could jeopardize that process? I doubt you would. Love yourself as much as you'd love someone whose care is your responsibility. It's not a diet like ones you've probably followed in the past that is to help you to lose weight, though that's a side benefit. It's a medical diet, not unlike other ones people follow prior to or after a surgery or medical / dental procedure. As an example, one of my colleagues just had her teeth whitened and has to only eat white or clear foods for a couple of days to avoid discoloration, and another has been open about having to only eat certain foods in preparation for a colonoscopy. You might not have gotten sick yet, but you're chancing it by eating things your stomach isn't ready for yet. I didn't eat solids until the one-month mark, and got sick that day, so I then reverted to liquids and soft foods for another two weeks until I felt more steady. Have you ever checked out the blog "The World According to Eggface"? It has some recipes for each of the phases following WLS. Pinterest also has a lot of ideas. I enjoyed getting a little freshly ground peanut or almond butter from Whole Foods and adding that to chocolate protein (unjury was my favorite brand) and Fair Life (higher protein) milk and ice in my Nutribullet and having a dessert-like shake. I also still make a lot of smoothies using high protein yogurt like Fage, and lower carb fruit and some frozen kale (berries will mask the taste of it, and it being frozen helps with the texture) rather than having Protein powder. Tasty Soups, like the red pepper one by Trader Joe's, also helped me to have some variety. My nutritionist had suggested egg puddings for the soft food phase, and I found a low-carb, low-sugar but tasty recipe that uses SF Torani syrup. Persevere through this challenge. It's worthwhile.

I'm on the pre-op liquid diet also. I can have Jello, pudding, greek yogurt, broth and of course Protein drinks. Sent from my SM-G930V using the BariatricPal App

Hey guys, I'm having a real problem sticking with the pre-op liquid diet. My surgery is next week and I'm having a really hard time not eating. I feel like I'm doing this wrong. I last all day on a couple Protein shakes and Water and one serving of broth. Then I get home and I am starving, sick of protein, and wanting to eat. So I end up having some cheese or yogurt or crackers. Anyone have any tips on stopping this cycle? I'm really worried about not making weight for my surgery. Help! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

@@tammy0421 you are off to a great start!!! soup, yogurt and of course Protein "shake, shake, shake" your booty shake your booty since you didn't say otherwise things sound like they are going well!! keep up the great job kathy

Drop the hummus, yogurt and granola. Increase your calories to 1000 to 1200. Increase your Protein to 90g. It sounds like you are eating clean but your are eating a decent amount of low to no protein junk. Dump that stuff at 3 months you don't have room for all those extras. The first time I had hummus post-op was at 15 months and I had 2 tablespoons at a resturant on a date. I only have extras when I have met or exceeded my protein goals.

Yeah! Good luck! We can do it! Wow, Jim! Thank you for that complement! I just kind of unloaded! Glad it inspired! Also that. Carbs are EASY and EVERYWHERE! Well put. I mean, they're also way cheap too. So unfair. (Now I'm just going to pout!) I am sure that the people that get "behavior fatigue" far outnumber the people that don't. More power to them! The rest of us need a little extra push, I think. I think I personally needed a LOT of extra pushes! But I am nothing if not stubborn! I eat too much dairy to get that low I think. Haha. Om nom dairy! If I absolutely had to, I could definitely do it, but yeah I am right there with you. Even once I get to goal, I will ALWAYS have to keep the carbs down if I want continued success. This year has proven that to me. Anna, don't get TOO depressed. Yes it is work. But it's much easier for us than other people. Everything that I did wrong this year I did because of things in my head. My stomach was trying to think FOR me, but my head wouldn't let it. Can you imagine? Keep working and you won't have to worry at all! Tinanne, thanks for commenting. Don't beat yourself up TOO much. Everyone deserves a bite of frosted cherry pie now and then. If you're keeping on plan otherwise, it should NOT be a deal breaker. Your stall may have nothing to do with that. If it breaks soon, I think it's probably just part of the natural ebb and flow that happens to our bodies after WLS. If your carb indulges increase, and your stall lasts longer than a typical stall does -- a couple months at most?, then I'd say you need to make a change or two. That's what I did wrong. I just told myself I wasn't in control. It was just a REALLYLONGSTALL and had nothingwhatsoever to do with my increasingly poor eating habits. Hahaha. That car didn't stall! That car drove itself over a cliff bar and straight into mashed potato heaven! I have learned now that I can no longer delude myself like that. It's all about balance. Be honest with yourself and you'll do just fine! I know the oft-repeated word on these forums is that every surgeon and dietician has different rules/philosophies and that you should follow what your doctor has said. But I'm also all about a second opinion. It may be worth it to talk to a different dietician/nurse or even a hotline that your insurance company may have. I only I know what works for me and carbs ARE NOT IT. Here are a few things that are on the no-no list from my dietician: grains (rice, corn, wheat, oats, even quinoa which is not technically a grain) and all grain-products (any grain-based flour, corn chips, bread, Pasta, pastry) anything with more than 9g of sugar per serving (yogurt is a big culprit, read those labels!) including honey/syrup dried fruit, peanuts, cashews (all other nuts are fine, I was told these are too carby!) white potatoes, sweet potatoes Beans of any kind including lima beans and peas (not including green beans/sugar snap peas) One I got a little farther out, she said I could have the occasional: steel cut oats, black beans, quinoa, sweet potato, wonton wrappers (up to 2 at a time, which i used to make toasted tuna melt-type lunches) I was told that fatty foods are fine and you only really want to start cutting those out if you have trouble getting close to goal/maintenance. For example she told me mayo is better than ketchup as a condiment (Duke's mayo has NO SUGAR and is one of the only ones on the shelf that has no sugar, if not THE ONLY one.) She told me to buy the tuna packaged in oil instead of Water. Eat full-fat cheeses, enjoy a slice or two of bacon, etc. If you're looking for a more thorough list, I would DEFINITELY recommend checking out the list of allowable and prohibited foods on the 21-day sugar detox by Diane Sanfilippo. At certain levels she allows dairy. That's the level you want to look at. I ignore the whole "organic, pasture raised, antibiotic free, whatever whatever" guidelines simply because I cannot afford that! She also doesn't allow for sweeteners or Protein supplements which I also ignore. Other than those little quirks, it's similar to what a post-bariatric diet would often consist of. Only it's not 21 days for us. It's kind of forever! Also! Thanks to both @ & @@mi75 for the encouragement!

The only "food" I can have until week 5 is applesauce (yuck), sugar-free Jell-O and pudding (yuck), and fat-free yogurt with no fruit pieces in it. I'd murder for some cottage cheese 4 more days!

35 pounds in 3 months is WONDERFUL. You should be very, very proud of that. I never EVER lost over 10 pounds a month consistently, and I imagine it is the same for you, so it is a great job there! Please don't feel so discouraged. Your body is going to lose weight exactly as fast as it wants and comparing yourself to others' loss or some arbitrary number you or even your doctor decided is no realistic. As long as you're doing things correctly - getting in your Protein, calories, Water, and moderate movement/exercise - then you're going to be fine. I also suggest you take a tape measure and check things like arms, waist and hips. The scale can't tell when you're losing fat and gaining muscle, and muscle is much leaner and less bulky than fat, so you may be exchanging fat for muscle and not seeing movement on the scale, but still making good progress. If your clothes are fitting differently, that is a great sign, but measurements are much more encouraging when the numbers on the scale aren't moving fast enough. Finally, slow loss isn't the end of the world. I was a slower loser and while I am seeing the hangy skin (darn it), it's not as bad as I would have expected since I lost slower and allowed my skin more time to adjust. The only things I'd suggest is watching things like hummus and other high fat foods. At this point for you, you should be optimizing everything you eat towards protein and then if there is any bit of room after eating your protein portion, eat high Fiber veggies. Small amounts of fat are good, but they shouldn't be the main part of your meal. And also, don't continue to eat over several hours and add larger portions because you can eat them if you take longer, that is eating around your sleeve's restriction. Meal time should be about 15-20 minutes total, and once you've eaten something like 3 ounces of protein and if there is room after consuming all the protein, go for 1-2 ounce of veggies, but stop if you get any type of full sign (mine is burping. Sigh). And no drinking for 30 minutes after eating (and no drinking during eating either - washes food down faster). If you need a snack in a few hours, then have a cheese stick or small yogurt, but don't eat more just because you can.

Perhaps you could restart by going on a two-week liquid diet. Protein shakes would be good for that. The best protein source I know is chicken breast. Four ounces (about 113 grams) of chicken breast has 32 grams of protein. If you ate that, or something similar, twice a day, you would be very close to your protein goal of 70 to 90 grams. Have beef or turkey Jerky and cans or pouches of tuna or chicken stashed in your purse or car. Also, hard-boiled eggs make a nice snack. For breakfast, Greek yogurt is really tasty and the kind I get has 12 grams of protein per serving. Two scrambled eggs will get you about 14 grams of protein. Make sure you stop eating carbs like bread, Pasta, rice, and anything with sugar in it. Always eat your protein first, followed by vegetables and fruits. Last thing, be sure you are consuming 64 ounces (about 2 liters) of Water daily. Protein and water, protein and water, protein and water. It's becoming my mantra! Good luck! Sleeve date: 21 Nov 2016 Height: 4'10" SW:190 GW: 125