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Thank you KristenLe. Doing my best. Not to say that I don't have a greek yogurt pop or a handful of popcorn once in a while. Life is too short. And I could not do it without my sleeve. This is such an amazing learning experience for me.

I love Peanut Butter. I cannot underscore the word Love Enough I mean if I could marry it I would. I am starting my next stage post-surgery that includes full liquids my question is the following. Has anyone tried PB2. It is a powdered peanut butter that has 85% less fat lower sugars. It is fantastic to use in yogurts and or Protein shakes. I use half of the recommended serving size which is 2 tablespoons I have attached a basic picture of the nutritional breakdown and was wondering if anyone can give me their comments on this product and its healthiness if eaten within moderation for those of you that have not tried this peanut butter substitute it comes in plain and peanut butter and chocolate flavored and all I can tell you is it is incredible. You can purchase this at GNC however I recently found it at Walmart in the peanut butter aisle. Sent from my SM-G920V using the BariatricPal App

I am about 16 days out and must say that until 4 days ago, I was feeling extra extra week, with brain fog. I was taking in Protein and losing weight at a good clip but the fatigue and cramps in my calf muscle. Today I am feeling better and the changes I made in the my routin are as following: 1) I read an article on Iron and fatigue and the association with Vitamin C so I have attached that article with the post if you wish to read. I am have started taking chewable iron supplements. 2) I switched from drinking broth and sodium laden Soups from the grocery isle to making my own indian style lentils (toor daal OR moong daal many varities in Indian Grocery stores--will post my recipe soon). I blend it with Water and a hard boiled egg (or just chew the hard boiled egg pieces really well) and 1 cup of greek yogurt (19g of protein). So the cup of lentil Soup blended with egg and i cup of greek yogurt is plenty of protein for the meal. 3) I make DARN sure that I take at least 80 ounces of water. 4) Add one banana to the two protein smoothies I have in a day (so two bananas and two whey protein scoops in the whole day) 5) My multivitamins made me nauseous so I switched to my children's flintstones and they seem to not make me nauseous although I do need to chew more pills So far my weight loss is still on track and the fatigue is down by 50% or more. I am sharing this experience with everybody and hope this helps. Just wanted to share. Anemia Following Weight Loss Surgery (2) (1).pdf

For me, I eat turkey, chicken, salmon, shrimp, eggs, cheese, milk, plain greek yogurt, fresh steamed broccoli, cauliflower, nuts and legumes. I do use seasonings and olive oil. I also love avocados.

I am shocked you were only told 50 oz. of Water. The recommended amount of water for anyone, weight loss or not, is 64 oz. As a WLS patient and someone who is, hopefully, exercising regularly, you should be getting even more than that. I usually get well over 100 oz. a day. As for calories, that shouldn't be your primary concern right now. While it is important to be getting ENOUGH calories to avoid slowing your metabolism, you probably aren't at risk for getting too many calories. You should be focusing on Protein. Aim for at least 80 per day, though my NUT told me to try to get up to 100 as quickly as possible post-op. I think you should definitely add in some Snacks to increase your calories and protein. I was instructed to eat 5-6 times per day. My "typical" day during my weight loss phase looked something like this: Breakfast: protein bar/shake Morning Snack: string cheese Lunch: leftover meat from a previous dinner Afternoon Snack: Greek yogurt Dinner: meat (whatever the protein was from what my husband cooked for dinner) Evening Snack: protein bar/shake That got me up to right around 100 grams of protein and about 1200 calories.

Yes do make sure you check your individual plan to ensure you are sticking with what is ordered by your doctor. At one week out I was also on what is called "full liquids"....and it included Greek Yogurt and sugar free pudding as well.....Strained Soups were also very good at that point...I liked the Progresso soups.

@@supersweet31 No girl.... stay away from that balloon.... go read up on it. I got banded Nov. 2009 and in 2013ish... i gained back 20lbs. I know it's not that much, but when my fav jeans didn't fit anymore.... I said... OHHHH HELL NO...!!! I didn't go back to the dr, because after all it wasn't the bands fault...it was mine for making bad choices. So i started at the beginning.... i did liquids for 2 days, Protein shakes, good smoothies, Soup... etc. then i did soft foods for 3.... I through out all the bad stuff in the house... chips, ice cream, Cookies,.... etc. And i stopped buying them (if you don't buy, you can't eat them). I know it's hard with small kids at home to not have treats around... but if you fill your fridge with good treats, yogurt (frozen are great), fruit that you can eat, if you get chips... make them veggie chips or baked... and buy the small bags (lunch size) this why your not tempted to over eat. I cut up everything as soon as i get it so it's easily accessible. Do what you can to move more..... I didn't track a thing... i fixed my plate (still using kids size, tiny bowls,.. etc) with what i knew was good for me and enjoy. Never got seconds... EVER even if i was still hungry. I limited my self to what i know was my portion. My weight was at 150ish.... Today i weighted in at 125. So it is doable... it will just take a little longer... Be patient...... In the end it doesn't matter what WLS you get, it's up to you to make the right choices.....People gain back from the band, sleeve, and GB..... It's all up to you and what you want and how you want your life to be. Work your band the way you know works.... and just do it. You did it once, you CAN do it again.

I'm only five weeks out, but I do get very hungry sometimes. The good thing: it doesn't take much to make the feeling go away; like maybe a piece of string cheese and a SF popsicle, or a container of Triple Zero yogurt and a few almonds.

My program (Kaiser Northern CA) is absolutely opposed to protein shakes and powders. We are only supposed to eat whole foods (plus vitamins) from the very start of orientation and throughout. Even the pre-op meal plan is all whole foods. Post-op foods are obviously appropriate to the stage (I.e. bone broth on stage one, yogurt/split pea soup stage 2, eggs/cheese/ground meats/soft veggies stage 3).

Hello so sorry you feeling this way. I had gastric bypass in Decemeber 2015. A month later had a bowel obstruction and been dilated 3 times and may require a major 3rd Surgury. I also have a picc line and been on it since July 7, 2016. I get TPN every evening after work for 12 hours. I haven't been able to keep food down and I vomit a lot. I do have few days I am ok but it's not easy. My advice to you is to please chew chew chew your food and early slowly. You will get better. Don't give up. I been hospitalize 6 times since December and it's been stressful but being positive will help you. It's normal for you to regret the Surgury because I also felt the same way but trust me you did the right thing. This is temporary. You will get better. Try to avoid meats and corn and high fiber food , salads for now. Stay on soft foods, protein shakes, oatmeal, yogurt, carnation instant breakfast, chicken , cooked vegetables, soups. This is what I was told by the nutritionist. You Amy want to see one also. If you need any other suggestions or have questions, please feel free to ask.

I felt the same. Two weeks out. I have tried to do two things which helped me a lot: 1) Up your Protein. I add a bowl of greek yogurt to my Soup. Greek yogurt is very high in protein and an easy way to make your protein intake easier. I also try to blend an egg in the soup from time to time. 2) Water water water. The only two times I felt dizzy and low on energy is when I less than half what I need to drink. All the best.

I too am discouraged, I'm using a scale which gives weight, bone mass, %Water, and %of body fat. I'm using a fitbit, and meeting my goals. I track my calories and Protein, I've scaled back to 550-650 calories a day. I drink plenty of water, and I gained 1.6 pounds this week. Since September 2 I have lost 4.8 pounds. I feel like the surgery is no help. If I had the discipline to restrict the foods I eat on a long term basis I would never have become fat. On September second I weighed 239.8, today 235.0! Ugh! I eat plain fish, tuna with mustard, and maybe celery and onion, chicken breast, and egg whites. I also eat diet Soup, rarely a diet mango smoothie, Protein Bars, and protein chips all from Bariatric Pal. I add garden salad mix, zucchini, Greek yogurt, sparingly ketchup, Morning Star Farms vegetable meat subs, and once some peanut powder stuff. I don't eat bread, cake, Cookies, the stuff that contributed to my obesity, also no crackers, chips, croutons, candy, and not even costco samples unless they are packed with protein, and low in fat. I use Costco's incarnation of Miralax, and laxatives. I'm scared. I can eat a lot. I don't dare mix things up too much more, if I play with food choices, just a bite of chocolate, crumbs from a muffin,, just to taste, or anything and I could be 280 again, maybe more. I had my surgery in July. My pre op diet helped me lose 15 pounds in three weeks. Post op nine weeks and my total loss is thirty pounds. I don't seem to effectively communicate how distressing this is for me.

Curious what everyone had that was solid after surgery for food? I'm currently having shakes, yogurt, cottage cheese..but can't stop thinking about solid food! Wondering if you start bland or what others had? Sleeved 9/12/16

I am just over 8 months post op, down almost 170lbs. I've been eating pretty much only Protein, and very little veggies the whole time. I have about 18lbs to lose until I'm at my goal. Once I'm there, I plan on adding different things like some fruit and yogurt. But until I'm at goal, I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing...it's worked for me Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi all, thanks for your concern. I think additional testing needs to be done Im scared because even thick soup doesnt work for me let alone yogurt or hummus or anything. Like right now I just had a quarter of a cup of soup and feel uneasy. I can try powder protein because I hear its so important to have. But yes, another appointment is needed I think.

It definitely sounds like you need to be talking to your doctor. I just started solid foods at 5 weeks post op and I'm having trouble keeping things down. I think either I'm eating too fast or need to start with foods much easier to digest. Since this is just day 2 I'm learning what my body can tolerate. I love chicken and "think" I'm eating very small bites but can't seem to get down 3 oz. yet. I think the Isopure drinks jurisjitsu recommended would be a terrific way to get your Protein. My surgeon made Nexium24 a standard part of my diet for the first 3 months......that probably helps. I take it first thing in the morning..............break it in half and add it to a teaspoon of yogurt. It's pretty much flavorless so I can get it down pretty easily. Also, I don't know you're physical condition but my surgeon had me up and walking the morning after my surgery. The more walking the better it was for gas pain. We're all so different that it's really best to talk to your surgeon because they know your medical condition. Good luck!

@@jurisjitsu I would schedule another appointment with your surgeon and insist on additional testing to find out what might be wrong. Have you tried Protein drinks (clear) like Isopure? You need some sort of protein. Instead of mashed potatoes, have you tried any mushy foods with protein (hummus, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc.).

The response I received from my Nutritionist was that ketosis usually happens when you consume less than 50 grams of carbs a day. That is about the equivalent of 3 servings of either diary, fruit or starch. She advised that I continue to include healthy Protein sources that have natural carbohydrates (yogurt, milk, legumes). Didn't really answer my question about whether it is safe or not. Maybe that is not an easy answer. My NUT is excellent. I've been using her for over a year and I trust her, but I will ask specifically when we meet next month. Additionally, I ordered the ketosis strips so I can check to see if/when I am actually producing ketones. By the way. I lost another lb. So that was 5 lbs in 7 days. Way more than I've been losing. I also know my appetite has decreased. I am still eating. But there isn't much in the way of hunger at all. Anyone tried the sticks and anyone who specifically stayed in ketosis for a period of time with success...or not?

In the morning I mix isolated whey Protein into sugar free pudding. That's about 20-25 grams. For lunch I usually have Greek yogurt about 11 grams. Then I mix the Protein powder into hummus for about 10 grams for snack. For dinner I started having 2 oz of tuna fish for about 20 grams. Or sometimes I have egg beaters and refried Beans for dinner or even snack for a little more protein. Lauren My New Life

Weight lifting is such a broad term and honestly overused term that it is hard to understand what a person means when they say it. When I say it, I mean lifting weights at the limit of my strength currently in order to overload the muscles and cause enough stress to force my body to become stronger. When my wife says it, she just means comfortable weights moved to gain endurance. If you are more interested in my wife's idea of weight lifting, you probably only need the normal recommended macros for a bariatric patient. 60-80 grams of Protein, ditto for complex carbs and then some healthy fats. 1200-1700 calories for a goal weight of 170. If you are looking to actually gain strength, you are going to be looking at 1700-2200 calories and a protein intake up to 150 grams. Complex carbs are still needed, but we are going to need more protein as a % since we are dealing with restricted stomachs. Fats are of course essential, but they have to be good fats! Milk fat in yogurt or regular milk as well as nuts and avacado as an example.

My tastes have not changed but they have came more extreme. Things that I was lukewarm on pre-op like scrambled eggs, I hate post-op. Never liked yogurt, despise yogurt now. Loved fish before, really love fish now.

OP- you are not the only one who has cheated and so while not trying to beat you up- you rightfully should be concerned that you may not ready. This isn't to say that perfection is required but it is to say that there are countless people who have this surgery without being equipped with the tools to handle challenges. If a week or two pre-op diet can't be adhered to, what about a lifelong requirement to measure your food, eat Protein first, etc. You may or may not be ready but if you have doubts, then please resolve them before doing something irreversible.Well the thing is, now I am starving. After surgery it will be different. Also, after surgery I was told to have a "treat" every few weeks. For instance, Pasta, etc. things will be different after surgery than they are now. Right now I have a huge stomach and I am use to eating a lot.Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Sigh. They just reduce the size of your stomach. It doesn't reduce your desire to eat crap still. It isn't magic. You still have to actually use a little will power to make it work. You have to exercise and change the way you eat forever. Not just eat, but change the way you even FEEL about eating in general. Yes, there will be times you're even hungry. If you use food comfort now and can't delay gratification, will you have the tools to deal with that post op? Please take all that into consideration and don't just assume surgery will magically change all your bad habits with food. People figure out ways to eat around these surgeries. Otherwise we wouldn't have a 42% rate of regain. As long as you completely understand that, you'll be fine. Okay. I am aware of what the surgery does, as I have been planning this surgery for a year. I will do what is right for me. I am willing to change and I want to change.... but I mean, you can't just stop wanting something because the doctor says so. If you were addicted to drugs and were told to just stop, could you? No.... it takes time, it takes support and I'm aware of this... but your "sighing" and pretty much telling me that since I cheated and ate chicken fingers and fries for dinner one night that I am not mentally capable of having a surgery is not why I am here. I am here for support. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App You indicated in your original post that you were scared that you weren't going to be able to handle post-op and food controlled your life. @@Babbs was explaining (politely) why it is important to get control before surgery as the mental aspects will not be resolved by surgery. If you came for support - you really should listen to what the successful posters have to say - not just look for validation that what you did is no big deal because others cheat as well. If you have been researching this surgery - I assume you've seen the difficulties many have post-op because food still controls them. "Cheating" on post-op could cause sign and life threatening complications. If your pre-op diet was low carb, high protein - even if you were starving - why didn't you just eat what was allowed on your diet. If it was simply hunger - yogurt would have sufficed. People are only trying to help you by being honest. This process is alot more mental than physical.

$2300 certainly isn't pocket change for most of us, but it's still considerably less than what most of us paid for surgery, so it might help to view it from that angle. Going forward the expenses might not be as expensive as you'd think. Regardless of whether you're eating broth, a Protein shake, or your typical meal, you'll still have to buy food. You'll be consuming much less of it than previously, especially in the first couple of months. If you have other members of the household you could use some of the things you buy for recipes for them as well, so the expenses won't just be for yourself. The blog site "The World According to Eggface" has several really good recipes that use Protein powder for lower carb muffins and treats others could enjoy. I've definitely spent less on groceries and eating out than before. After my first month I really wasn't buying any food just for myself that my husband couldn't also enjoy. I use Fairlife milk because it has more protein in it. I took keep protein powder in the pantry, but most days I make smoothies using a high protein, low carb yogurt, frozen fruit, and frozen kale (the taste is masked by the fruit). My portion sizes have definitely changed. When I eat out I always need a box for left overs, and one meal can be made into three now. As for clothing, if you have a reasonably priced seamstress nearby she might be able to take in the business clothes you already have and like. That's what I've done. For more casual wear I still wear jeans that are a bigger size, just with a belt. I have splurged on a few jeans in my current size, but if I'm just running to Home Depot I'll put on an old baggy pair, cinch in the waist, and throw on a longer top. Before I had the VSG, I still had to buy new clothes a few times a year, but often because I'd gone up a size. It's much less disheartening when the reason for new clothes is because you've lost weight rather than because you've gained it. Best wishes with everything!

I got lazy and ordered wonton soup broth, and egg drop soup. And added Protein powder (flavor less) and strained out lumps. The broth thinned out the egg drop a little and it still had protein. It tasted heavenly. Home made bone broth helped me with healing. Don't go over board friends. Inside of one week you'll be moving on to the next phase. So don't over buy, you'll get board. My staple now is Oikos triple zero yogurt. My surgery was 6/30. Purée was great and I wouldn't worry too much about sodium. Your flushing electrolytes with the Water and Fluid intake. Your eating so little so enjoy what little you do eat. No point in deprivation. I ate purée of meats I cooked for my family. It was thinned with broth, but flavor was good. Baby steps, swallow, swallow, swallow! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am almost 3 weeks out and it gets better every day. I was very nauseous in the hospital and threw up a lot of old blood from the surgery. In fact I was nauseous the first day home. Then it evened out. I followed only soft Protein such as yogurt, cottage cheese and clear Soups for meals and sips of Water every five minutes. In between meals I drank about 1/3 of the premier Protein shakes. The only thing I think stopped my recovery was that I tried not to take the pain meds I was prescribed. I was miserable. So on the third day home I started taking one during the day and one about an hour before bed. Life was much easier after that. I also took Miralax daily to stay regular. I have been off the pain meds for four days now and it is getting better every day. I have lost 34 lbs altogether in one month. I feel like I made the best decision of my life! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App