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I started my pre-op diet on August 31st. I have cut all carbs out of my diet and am having a Protein shake for Breakfast or 2 scrambled eggs. I am then having a small cup of Greek yogurt for a mid morning snack. lunch consists of green Beans. Then another Protein Shake for an afternoon snack. dinner is a protein and a salad. I am eating sugar free popsicles like they are going out of style...but these are on menu for after my surgery so I thought they would be okay for before the surgery. My surgeon wants me on all shakes and then a small dinner at night - no carbs. I am now concerned that the days I am eating eggs, yogurt and green beans, plus the popsicles, might affect my surgery. Has anyone had to have their surgery cancelled on the table, due to a large and fatty liver? If so, what did you eat the 2 weeks before the surgery? My BMI was 35.2 to start...and my surgery date is September 14th. Any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Please tell me all about your 2 week diets. Thank you.

This is a question mainly for post-op patients who are up to eating solid foods again after surgery, but anyone can weigh in! I am wondering about eating versus drinking your calories and nutrients. When it comes to Protein, do you prefer to chow down on foods such as chicken, fish, yogurt, cheese, and Protein Bars? Or do you opt for protein shakes and powders? If you are still using shakes and powders, is it because using them is the only way you can hit your protein goals, or because they are more convenient, or simply because you like them more? With fruits and vegetables, do you throw them into smoothies and shakes and/or juice them? Or do you eat them whole? And why? A lot of people find that smoothies help them up their fruit and veggie intake, but some people prefer to eat them to get the satisfaction of chewing solid foods…and maybe avoiding the need to clean a blender when making a smoothie! So what is your preference? It’ll also be helpful if you post what type of weight loss surgery you had and how far out you are so other members can get an idea of what to expect or what others are doing. Thanks!

Definitely don't count calories. DSers do not. We count Protein grams. At barely 2 months out it may be hard to eat enough protein. If you feel you need 3 shakes a day then do it. How many sugar grams are in each shake? Is it under 10? I had 1 shake for the first 2 years (each day) bc I couldn't get enough protein in. I didn't get to 50 gr. protein till 6 mos. out. Are you getting in 80 gr. of Water comfortably? That is a lot. If it's too hard you can drop it back. I only weighed when I went to my surgeons' office. That meant 1 mo. out, 3 mos. out, etc. That way I never saw ups, downs, stalls. I did take pics every 3 mos. My first mo. I lost 19 lbs. as I recall. Why the low fat? As a DSer, I eat pretty much all the fat I want. Full fat mayo, yogurt, etc. That's one of the beauties of the DS.

Are you adding fruit to your Protein and is your pudding/yogurt/Popsicle all sugar free Myree

Exactly why I don't eat carbs other than what's in Splenda for coffee and minimal amounts in traces of other things. When I open the door and eat something carb loaded.....it simply sets up a crash and craving 30 mins later.....and the cycle of cravings occurs repeatedly until I cut out the carbs. Exactly why I chose to skip puree stage where my NUT's plan allowed oatmeal, creamed potatoes, yogurt and the like. Everyone has their own strategy......for me....it's much easier to sidestep the cravings by not giving in to them. It takes a day or two each time to get back on track and "purged" of them.

I am also finding my balance on carbs as well. Almost 7 months post op here. At 2-3 months I never ever had room for more than a touch of fruit or a little qinoa. But I've found that eating a bit more carbs seems to boost my weight loss. My carbs come from: a slice of 100% whole wheat bread, wasa crisps, pea crisps, Greek yogurt, sweet potato, fruits and vegetables. So it's never higher carb and lower Protein at a given meal. It's more that I have room to add in more of these healthy carbs without reducing my protein. Oatmeal is a tricky one. I'd also say only whole oats or steel cut. No instant oats. And if you can add protein to it-cook in milk or add GENEPRO, better. But oatmeal is very filling and will impact your ability to get in any additional protein at that meal. (I think it's more appropriate in the first 6 weeks as you are adjusting to food then it is during the bulk of the weight loss stage.) All of that said, track. If you are tracking, and your weight loss doesn't slow down with oatmeal twice a week, great. But don't go to daily oatmeal right away. And if it makes you start craving other carbs, think about it it's really a good choice.

Sleeved Aug 30th....1st 3 days were tough! Worst part was shoulder pain due to my drainage tube. Once the tube was pulled out the pain immediately was gone. I already went through some regret in the hospital but now that I am seeing that the scale is moving I feel more positive that this was the right decision for me. My biggest concern is that I can't stop burping. Anytime I drink or eat I have to burp, it's embarrassing! I hope this will go away. My dr only allows broth and Jello the 1st week. I bought some yogurt today and am tempted to try it but I'm just not sure. What is everyone else allowed? Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Greek yogurt and well chewed low fat mozzarella cheese sticks. Set a timer for 25-30 minutes. Eat very slowly. Don't forget no sipping with eating. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

My nut doesn't like any oatmeal or yogurts that have more than 10g sugar. For yogurt it can be hard to find Protein and low sugar unless you go Greek and I do triple zeros. I found oatmeal the same and that the think thin and some other more high end brands had similar stats. I have not had blood work yet, I can only share that carb goal and say that I have enjoyed the think thin but it does feel like a lot of calories when most of my Breakfast "meals" are less than 100 calories. But maybe that is good since I worry I am slowing with loss due to low calories.

@@bellabeans A meatball is kind of heavy. Try things like cottage cheese, greek yogurt, ricotta bake, creamed/strained soups, etc. Your fluids and protein (shakes) are what's most important right now.

Hummus, creamed/strained soups, ricotta bake, refried beans with cheese, greek yogurt... There's some good ideas on Pinterest. Good luck!

The liver shrinking thing is something of a debatable point within the bariatric community these days, with the current concensus being that no diet of a couple weeks makes a notable difference in the size of a diseased liver. What can be improved is the reduction of a slime coat that forms on the surface of a fatty liver, making it easier to handle for some. The normal protocol for this is a low carbohydrate diet, typically consisting of leaner meats and non-starchy vegetables. Some programs will substitute a meal or two per day with a protein shake to get patients used to them for their post-op world, but an all liquid diet provides no real benefit toward this goal. The surgeons who impose these all liquid diets seem to have something else in mind, but I have never found any good reference to it. It might be a belief in it helping get patients ready for weeks of post-op liquids that some use or may simply be a legacy of past practices ("that's the way we've always done it.") My experience has been that the surgeons who routinely do some of the most complex bariatric procedures and revisions generally don't need their patients to do these diets, even the very heaviest, implying that they're bringing tools and experiences to the table that negate the need for such pre-op treatment. These docs also tend to have more rapid post-op progressions as well, often starting with soft foods in the hospital or after only a few days of liquids rather than weeks; our info binder states that their experience has been that patients tend to do better the sooner they move from the supplements/shakes into real food. This is why I tend to look a program's pre- and post-op dietary practices as a window (one of several) on their skills and experiences. Congrats on your routine surgery and recovery, and keep up the sip,sip,sipping and the walkies! thanks, i can see your point....guess my research has not been that extensive, my dr. did tell me that they can tell by looking at the liver whether a person follows the diet or not and that many do not....but obviously the surgery still happened..for me doing the shakes before surgery, allowed me time for learning and experimenting what i liked and didnt....got so good at it, i can make a Protein Drink taste just as good as Mcdonalds shake and healthier...between a combo of unsweetened almond milk, ice, no sugar, no fat choco pudding (homemade w/ skim milk), nonfat, plain greek yogurt, vanilla protein powder...course right now, 6 days after surgery, i have omitted a few of these ingredients temporarily. Sent from my SM-S820L using the BariatricPal App

It is physically impossible to stretch your stomach from eating. They removed the stretchy part. Any surgeon telling you that if you do "X" you'll stretch your stomach is using scare tactics to keep you from eating poorly (basically thinks their clients are not smart enough to handle proper diet and portion control instructions - it is unfortunately very common). As your stomach heals it will relax and allow you to hold more than right now by a few ounces, but it will never, ever EVER go back to the size it was. At three weeks, I could barely handle an ounce or so of mushy food like yogurt and chicken salad (made with light mayo and sugar free pickle relish). Eating real meat that early seems very fast, and your sleeve is telling you that it isn't ready. I would suggest going back to eating high Protein mushy/soft foods like canned chicken or tuna salad, yogurt, eggs, refried Beans with sour cream or greek yogurt and cheese, baked fish. Meat like chicken, turkey or beef will be very dense and hard on a sleeve for some time. I'd wait another couple of weeks and try something like moist chicken drumsticks (I do drumsticks in the crockpot with a few spices like sage and thyme and garlic powder and they come out fall off the bone moist). But you absolutely should be tracking what you eat (and calories, fat, carbs and protein), measuring/weighing your portions so you don't overeat and cause discomfort or pain, and shoot for a minimum of 80 grams of protein (while keeping the carbs low and the fat moderate). Oh and do not drink with food at all, and wait a minimum of 30 minutes after you eat before having anything to drink. I would suggest trying 2 ounces at a time for meals for now and see how you feel. DO NOT FORCE YOURSELF TO EAT if you feel weird.

Atkins blueberry Greek yogurt bars are my favorite, the chocolate chip ones are good too[emoji6]

My doc requires me to be on liquid for 4 weeks. Included in this diet was Greek yogurt with Protein powder added and SF pudding with Protein Powder added. I had my sleeve surgery on 8/30 Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I'm right with you on not getting your protein in. I'm 4 weeks post op and I'm stuggling big time. I'm lucky if I get 40 gms of protein a day and as for water, I'm only getting about 32 oz a day. I usually start my day with a premier protein drink which I only can drink 2/3 of one. I then start sipping my water about 40 minutes later but I'm still full from the shake so I dont' get much water in. I usually have lunch about 4 hours later and then I'm full for the rest of the day. I have to force some yogurt or cottage cheese down but that still doesn't bring my protein intake up much. I'm getting frustrated and hoping I'll be able to eat more at some point. Oh, also strugging with the b-vitamins. They sour my stomach. ARGH!!!

I am so glad that you are feeling so much better and that your body is adjusting. I'm doing a lot better these days myself. I actually am beginning to experience some constipation. I began taking a liquid supplement by Bluebonnet called Calcium Magnesium Citrate Plus Vitamin D3. It helps me tremendously by keeping me regular and soft. I take it every evening along with my evening Vitamins and medications. I have progressed to solid foods and have found that some things don't agree with me as the once did. I used to love Peanut Butter. I have found that now it's too sweet and too oily. I can't stomach red meats either. Carbmaster has a new low carb smoothie that I tried today and it didn't sit well. I think the smoothie was too thick. I can still eat Carbmaster low carb yogurt with a scoop of added Protein. As of this past Monday 29AUG16 I started going back to the YMCA so I could swim in the early mornings. Well.. I started off doing Water aerobics for thirty minutes and swimming for ten minutes before I got tired. I have been going every day this week and have been increasing my endurance. I now do water aerobics for twenty minutes and swim for twenty minutes. When I get cleared by the surgeon I will begin to add some light weight lifting on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday so I wont loose all on my fat free muscle mass. I will see him in two more weeks. I must say that my weight loss has been considerably slower. My surgeon had prepared me by informing me that the weight loss would be slower than before. I just need to relax and let the process work no matter how long it takes. I'm not competing with anyone just my preconceived ideas of how this should work for me. I'm glad that you did read my response and know that I am here if you need me. Truthfully I need as much support as I can get especially since this is a revision and I am deathly afraid of failing!!. So please keep me posted of your progress as well. I really appreciate knowing that there is someone else on this board who has a similar background as I do. I don't feel so alone anymore. Thanks

You need to stop eating the crisps and cup o soups first. Lots and lots of protein!! NO CARBS for two weeks, get your body back into fat burning mode!! Eat things like greek yogurt, cottage cheese, chicken, fish, eggs. If you like the cup of Soup make some boullion and drink that. Have a high Protein shake in place of a meal. You just fell aside the road for a bit - now jump back on the road and take off running. :-)

I don't know how long the effect will last, but here's my experience shopping last night at just over 2 weeks post-op: Walked in the produce section and was drawn to the smell of the nectarines. Mind you, I have SERIOUS food issues (Dad physically force fed me veggies when I was very young) and in the past would have serious anxiety about eating anything outside my comfort zone. I can't tell you if I've ever even tried a nectarine. But damn they smelled awesome. So hubby said he likes nectarines, and we grabbed a couple. (Tried them at home, they're good but not really by themselves, needs to be in a cobbler or Cereal or something.) Walked by the Little Debbie display - one of my old binge foods. Part of my brain went "oooohhhhh, Little Debbies, that would count as soft food". (Don't worry, I didn't get them.) But then the part of my brain that was imagining eating them, went "eh." Walked through the Breakfast section - PopTarts are another one of my old binge foods. Used to be I only loved the chocolate fudge ones. Those had no appeal. The cherry ones had more appeal, but there's better ways to get cherry tastes like fruit in yogurt. Walked on by, no cravings no nothing. Even if this effect doesn't last forever, if it lasts long enough for me to establish some healthier eating patterns, it'll be good enough. And, I'm 30 lbs down from my highest weight. Jeans I haven't been able to wear since last fall are comfortable on the verge of being loose, and my wedding band which I haven't been able to wear for months is finally back on my hand. Just getting the boost of that 30 lbs gone is exhilarating and making me very excited about the future.

I love cottage cheese but for you add salt and pepper, yummy. Now for greek yogurt add jam and splenda this is tasty. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Good to know Andrea. I am almost 3 weeks out. Supposed to be able to eat regular Protein etc. but the only non yogurt soft food i can tolerate so far is. Tuna on crackers. I even had frothing yesterday yuck. I ate half a crab cake while out to lunch. Just the middle not the fried part. I am hoping because I drank like 20 oz of Water an hour before? It felt like something was stuck halfway down. Then I spit up foam. As long as it will get better I will go back to yogurt and cottage cheese. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Sounds like you're doing all the right things! Still throwing up or has that passed? Hope you're feeling better every minute! FWIW I stocked up on bone broth in addition to regular broth because it has more Protein. Problem is that I couldn't stomach either - lol! The smell or something was making me nauseous. But if you can manage it, it's a good option. I was on my left side all of the time too, but after a month or so I could do either. I can even lay in my back without a problem now. So you're body really does adjust over time - some people more so than others. Also I was eating regular Popsicles at first rather than sugar free. They are only like 40 calories and they were the only calories I was getting for the first couple of days, so I figured it was just as well. When I was ready to move off clear liquids, I started eating Greek yogurt. It's low in calories but high in protein. I still eat it just about every day - sometimes twice a day. And the fancy ones with the toppings and what not are my go-to when I fancy a dessert (ex: key lime pie Greek yogurt with a graham crumble and white chocolate topping). Sure it's higher in calories and sugar than other yogurts, but it's still only ~ 200 calories and high in protein, so it's a great satisfying alternative to cake, pie or other indulgences (which are usually higher in fat, calories and sugar, but lower in protein). Keep up the great work and best wishes to you!! :-) Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

So today I got up to 1400 calories. Eating all Protein. Hard boiled eggs. Yogurt low fat. Zucchini lasagna with extra lean meat. 2 Protein Bars. Pork and cottage cheese no fat. By time I got to the gym I was miserable and mind wise I felt terrible that I ate all that food but I have been gradually increasing my calories and this week I lost 4 pounds. My mind is having a hard time comprehending this. I will keep it up cuz I see it works but on my rest days should I decrease my calories? Do you think it's healthy to work out 6 days? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Yes....Drink AT LEAST 64 ounces of Fluid a day (sugar free, calorie free, non carbonated beverage), Replace 2 meals a day with a Meal Replacement shake, and a sensible meal for 3rd meal. 1/2 cup=3 to 4 ounces of lean meat and vegetable (fresh, frozen or canned). You can add flavor with only herbs and spices, salt/peooer, lemon /lime juice, or vinegar. *Snack in between Meal Replacements can be fat free yogurt, light Greek yogurt, fat free/low fat cottage cheese, or 1 small piece fresh of fruit. Hope this helps

Since I'm new, I pretty much only dole out 2 ounces thinking that is still below what is in my "handbook". But I rarely finish it. There isn't too much I'm enjoying to eat these days. So most everything I force myself to eat. I've decided I just can't force myself to eat greek yogurt or cottage cheese. It has always been disgusting to me. Oh wait, I do enjoy the Ricotta bake and I do enjoy my egg. I'm going to go have my second shake now.