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invest in unflavored protein powder..usual has low calories fat and sugar. Plus its easy to add it to everything. I add a tablespoon of it into my gravies, soups, sauces, yogurt, pudding etc. At first it wont seem like a lot but throughout the day it adds up. Just be careful not to add too much at a time or else you'll end up with a gross unbearable meal!

After clears I have 14 days of liquids still? I can add sugar free pudding and low fat yogurt? Craig Martinez Austin, Texas

I was sleeved on the 29th today was the first day I don't need an afternoon nap. I move onto purée tomorrow which I'm hoping will help with my constipation. Today I had 750mls of Water mixed with some low cal juice and half a yogurt 62 grams and a cup of clear Soup and a coffee with high Protein milk couldn't face the shake and yes I'm allowed coffee which is making my life a lot more bearable at the moment but I only have the one a day. sleeping is hard as I can't sleep on my sides they hurt to much so it's my back all night. I'm glad I have this week off work I couldn't face going back yet when are you all going back to work? I had some head hunger today and found myself looking at food for WLS on pintrist and read a few blogs on life after WLS eating out etc tips I find myself researching all the time. I have muscle pain upon getting up and down the incision by my belly button is sore and I feel a muscle pulling when I move around. The scale went up 1.5 kgs today so I'm not going to weigh till next weekend I've decided or il become obsessed with weighing all the time. Sent from my iPhone

Wow Im so happy I found this forum and topic!! Im a 30 BMI 5’ 3 170 and have dieted since I was 12. A few years ago I reached my highest weight ever of 229 but that was pregnant. my skin has been stretched out terrible. I lost 70lbs after losing the baby weight of 29lbs. So I got down to 130. But of course Im back up again. My pre diabetes keeps coming and going depending on my current weight. I honestly can’t handle it anymore. I eat 80 percent paleo not sugar or breads. No soda. I mean CLEAN!! But the scale keeps creeping up. I can’t work out like I use to do some health issues and joint pain. I don’t dare tell anyone because of the shame I feel about getting this done. I wanted to be a health coach and now Im having surgery. Its hard to explain. No one knows but my husband. So I have you guys to talk too. Im headed to Mexico next month to have surgery with Dr. Ponce at INT. Any advice on pre op and post op would be most appreciated. Im afraid of getting hypoglycemia after surgery. Also will I be able to work out hard like running and stay hydrated down the road? Im worried about throwing up and having acid reflex the rest of my life and regretting my decision. My doctor wants me to do 3 days before surgery of just yogurt and water. Is that really necessary? Also 10 days liquids. That freaks me out!!

Hi all, This group is pretty buried within the forums, so I can see how I missed it until now (and I can also see why it's pretty inactive). I would have really liked to read a story like mine from someone else while I was researching the sleeve surgery. So, here's my story and I hope it helps someone. I would love to hear from anyone and try to pump some life into this forum! I'm a newbie, just 12 days post-op, so I am still learning everyday and ask the veterans dumb questions all the time. But I still think my experience just coming to terms with knowing the sleeve was for me might help another low BMIer in a similar situation. I'm 31 years old, 5'6" and started at 180lbs (29 BMI). I had a lot of backlash from friends and family when I made my mind up to go forward with this, but ultimately everyone ended up being supportive after they realized there was no talking me out of it and the surgery was done. For low BMIers wondering if the sleeve is too drastic for them, I'll tell you it's a personal choice and a lifelong commitment. That being said, I was a major yo-yo dieter. I binged on food for weeks, gain 35 pounds, then went vegan cold turkey (cold tofu? Lol). Lost 30lbs. Then went on a binge, gained 40lbs, then did Atkins (extreme difference from vegan), lost 35lbs. I've been repeating this cycle of bingeing then dieting (insert any fad diet here: HCG diet, Orange Theory obsession, phentermine, personal trainer 3x, vegetarian, back to Atkins, Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers...) since I was 12 years old. Anyway, the highs got higher and I never made it back to my pre-binge numbers. I got exhausted from dieting. Frustrated with myself and my lack of impulse control. I looked into WLS. My mom is the same as I am, just add another 100lbs. I went with her to a weight loss seminar and learned about the sleeve. I was ready to sign up then and there; finally, I found something that could be a real tool to help me maintain a healthy weight for life - you can't binge if you can only eat a half a cup of food at a time! Unfortunately, the US healthcare system wanted me to be a 35 BMI to get the surgery. And, if I wanted to waste a couple years of my life, I guarantee I would've made it there, and I would have brought along my new friends diabetes, high BP, and joint pain. Instead, I researched getting the sleeve in Mexico where I could pay a fraction of the cost of surgery in the US, and they were willing to do the surgery within 2 weeks of my filling out paperwork and a deposit for just about anyone BMI 28 or higher. I went w/ Dr. Ortiz at OCC. I was THRILLED with the entire experience. When I arrived in Mexico I began having doubts, but the staff and the other patients put me at ease. There were several very low BMI patients with my same issues. An interesting fact the surgeon told me is that once you gain 30 pounds the likelihood of you losing the weight and keeping it off without surgery is 10%. I already knew I didn't fall into that 10%. So I did it on 7/22/16. After my pre-op diet (which was absolutely the hardest part of this entire process!), I weighed 173 pounds on date of surgery. I'm 12 days out and weigh 163lbs now. I really think that being low BMI and healthy were 2 major reasons I had such an easy surgery. Aside from a little nausea caused by the anesthesia (I never threw up, just felt icky for about an hour) and getting the gas out, I had no complications. My incisions are all tiny. I have no pain in my abdomen. I'm a stomach sleeper and can sleep on my stomach. I was only on pain meds a couple days past surgery (and I just took what I was told, not sure I even had any pain ever). Getting 64oz of liquid in the first 2 days didn't happen for me, but as soon as I could introduce the Protein Shakes, this process became totally workable. I'm currently drinking 3 Premier Protein drinks p/day and get 90g of Protein per day. I drink 48oz of regular Water and 16oz of Vitamin water. I enjoy tomato Soup with almond milk and yogurt drinks (the yogurt adds another 12g of protein, bringing my count up to 102g) as my Snacks. I mix my Vitamins with the soup and the yogurt, because I'm not supposed to take them as pills yet. The biggest issues for me are mental. At this point, I haven't had solid food yet, so I just miss eating. I get to start my pureed phase on 8/5, so I'll let you know how it goes. I'm very excited for cottage cheese, poached eggs and the ricotta bake! My dr's goal for me is 150lbs, because that puts me in the healthy BMI range, but my goal is 130lbs. Here's my before shot, I'm going to update it on the 22nd of each month: Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

@@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.

@serenityjames81 Thank you for your post! I have lost my way and doing TOO much when it comes to what I'm eating and how often I'm eating. I was considering the 5 day reset to reset my mind! May will be 3 years for me and like you after 3 years, i have 50 more pounds to lose! I feel a little ashamed but I'm so happy to hear someone else with a similar story. I'm going to the store tomorrow to get some cream of chicken soup and more yogurt! I gotta do this

Interesting, I just had to go look at my paperwork again to see if I had a stage 1 and I skipped it lol, I was actually told by my nutritionist to have sips of protein drinks in the hospital and I couldn’t keep it down which I’m not surprised now knowing that some of have protein drinks in stage 2 mine was very a lax transition where it was when you can have protein drinks drink them and if you can handle soups drink them with no timeline until the puréed stage which I’m so hyped for! Glad your having yogurt!

Hello everyone I am new here. I found this site and found it very helpful during this process. I got gastric bypass on 4/18. I was so scared before the surgery. Now I wish I had this done many years ago. I would say problems I had were constipation ( no bowel movement for 11 days. I always had constipation but this was extreme. I am on linzess and now lactulose solution 10 ml 3x daily. I also had problems consuming enough protein liquid. I got 2 flavors of isopure. Yuck… I hate it! I forced myself to drink at least 1 bottle per day. Now I am on purée food. I am still trying to figure out what to purée and not. I am not much of a cook so this part is very hard for me. So far puréed cod fish, yam, green beans. Cottage cheese, triple zero yogurt, premiers protein shake….( also yuck! ) I miss my Korean food! I have only lost 10 lbs. pre liquid I lost 13 lbs in 5 days. I am confused why I am not losing any weight at this point hopefully someone can give me some feedback. Thank you everyone for your posts and I am glad to be here.

I am 5 weeks post op and am finding myself in a similar boat. I just don't really like anything anymore. I almost gagged with tuna, and enjoyed it before. I mix unflavored protein powder with my yogurt, retried beans, pudding, etc to get my protein in.

Me too!!!!! How are you doing? I had my first yogurt today!

I had surgery on the 22nd of July, all is going well. I was able to get all of fluids in during week on and two. Finding the soft purée food stage interesting and allows me to be creative. Pain is ok, I haven't been on any pain meds. I stopped the morphine while in the hospital it made me so nauseous. The hardest part for me was getting thrush, my tongue was coated and my breath was so rank! But once I was allowed to have my liquid protein drinks and yogurt everything got better. I have a sharp pain from the excess skin pulling from time to time, so I wear a griddle to keep the skin still. I am glad you are doing well. Sorry to hear about the emergency surgery. Keep up the great work,

I had my sleeve done 2 weeks ago on the 15th and I'm feeling pretty good. I've lost 10 lbs since the day of Surgery. I don't know if that's good or not. I'm having a very hard time getting protein in. I can't stand shakes at all. I get super nauseous from the first tiny sip! I've been eating cottage cheese and Greek yogurt to get some protein in, but that's about it. Water is also hard, plain water is nearly impossible. Flavored water I can drink about 24 oz a day. I'm worried about my nutrition! Any suggestions???

So how was everyones weekend? I'm sorry you're in pain Molly! Sending a big *hug* your way! Mine was ok. Went to a premier jewelry party at my sis in laws. Had to deal with my mother in law. I can't stand that woman! Came home depressed and ready to eat anything that didn't move. I did ok though. I'm losing pretty slow since my last doc appt. I've ony lost 6 pounds in 4 weeks. I suck! I need to stop eating all the sweets. I have been working out more though. Which is good. I'm having a tough time with food this morning. I was getting yogurt stuck so I managed to get down half a yogurt in two hours. Blah!

1 scoop of egg salad and 1 scoop of tuna salad placed on top of soy chips,mmmmm. Then for desert, a scoop of frozen yogurt, some oj, frozen strawberries, blended in the magic bullet. My veg was the celery in the tuna salad. I think I shouldn't have gotten that unfill, now I'm open as a well.

I'm planning to continue the Optifast through the first few weeks, as it's nutritionally pretty complete. That's what the info I was given said to do and to supplement with some fruit juice, some vegetable juice like V8 and some drinking yogurt. Otherwise I'd be worried about getting what I need.

The countdown is on....11 days to surgery! I have my pre-op appointment tomorrow~it can't come soon enough! I am so excited! I was instructed to do the "slim fast" shake diet or drink two shakes a day and eat one meal. I have found a chocolate shake that I actually like. I mix it with skim milk and ice. Tomorrow I have decided to add a little bit of vanilla yogurt. We will see how that goes. I have been a little emotional today. I am not quite sure why. I think I spent tooooo much time worrying and thinking about the surgery. I have my fears but its a very important step that I have to take. I am so sick of being unhappy with my weight. This is a step in the right direction. Thank you for all the blogs. I really enjoy reading everyone's views and everyone's experiences. Thank you for sharing. I appreciate your support and positive words!

Here are some food ideas I've been enjoying this summer, along with some tips to make the prep super fast. I call these "recipes" (in quotes) because they don't include measurements (except the last one). They're more meant to serve as inspiration. My first tip is that, I've been buying pre-cooked quinoa and brown rice recently and keeping it in the freezer until I'm ready to use it. Brown rice (or your favorite grain, farro would be lovely) can be swapped for quinoa in any of these "recipes", though quinoa has the least carbs and highest Protein of the bunch (since it's a seed, not a grain). Quinoa is really easy to cook, and if you make a big batch you can portion and freeze the left overs. But the pre-cooked version is great when you're too tired to even boil Water. Cheesy Quinoa: - Mix prepared quinoa with skim milk, or fat free yogurt, and your favorite sharp melting cheese. Pop in the microwave and stir regularly. I like to add some veg for Fiber and Vitamins too. Chopped tomato, broccoli, or zucchini are my favs. For an extra boost of vegetarian protein throw in some canned black Beans. -- I like to keep frozen veg on hand for times like this, and I buy pre-shredded extra sharp cheddar (a small grating of fresh, real, Parmesan cheese adds a nice nutty saltiness too) Summer Caprese - Fill your (small) plate with really good fresh mozzarella cheese (tear it from the ball, don't slice, for a rustic feel), the best summer tomatoes you can find, and fresh summer corn. Top with olive oil, course salt, fresh ground pepper, and your favorite fresh herbs if you have them on hand. You'll get protein from the cheese, healthy fat from the olive oil, and fiber and nutrition from the veg. Yum! - I love to have fresh corn in the summer - I throw them in the oven with husks still on right on the oven grates, then store in the fridge in gallon size bags. Frozen, defrosted corn would work fine too though Quinoa Kale Pesto with Shrimp - Some time many months ago I was feeling ambitious and made a kale pesto, and froze the left overs in an ice cube tray, that now sit in a baggie in my freezer (to be inspired, the "recipe" included kale, bacon fat, pecans and Parmesan cheese). Recently I broke out a few cubes, mixed with pre-cooked quinoa, pre-cooked frozen/defrosted shrimp, and some pieces of frozen kale. You can sub a store-bought or fresh pesto of your choosing. I heated it up (microwave) with some anchovy slices for an extra Omega hit and salty kick. I was able to split one small bowl between Breakfast and lunch because it filled me up so much Quinoa Chickpea Sardine salad - in this case I'm using salad as in "tuna salad" or "egg salad", not as in lettuce salad - This one packs a macro-nutrient punch, though it doesn't have any veg the way I made it (celery, or tomato would be good though) - Mix canned chickpeas with quinoa, and a tin of sardines (I used the kind packed in olive oil, but don't pour all the oil in). I then mixed well with some all-natural mayo, and seasoned with salt, pepper, celery seed, and dried thyme. I'm trying to work seafood into my diet more, so this was a great way to get some in. The quinoa, sardines and chickpeas all have protein, and the sardines, oil, and chickpeas have healthy fat. And the mayo, in moderation, is just there because it tastes good! (The brand I bought actually has 25% DV of Vitamin E per serving - so that is slightly redeeming) And finally, last but not least, one of my favorite things I ever learned how to cook: Cheese Sauce. It comes out so creamy and delicious I promise skim milk works great. This sauce is amazing mixed with spaghetti squash which...you can cook whole in the microwave (just be sure to pierce it with a knife to avoid explosion)! Yum. I swear you will not miss the pasta! It goes great on anything you want cheesy. Cheese Sauce (this is an actual recipe - scale up or down using the proportions below) - Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil or butter, 1 tbsp flour, 1 cup skim milk, 1 oz grated sharp melting cheese, salt to taste - Heat the oil/butter in a pot, and add the flour and cook slightly until the flour is fully incorporated and a light caramel color. - Slowly whisk in the milk, ensuring the flour mixture dissolves - Keep whisking over med-low heat until the mixture becomes thick and creamy (this is a bechamel!) - Add your cheese until it melts and salt to taste - This recipe take some actual work unlike the others, but it's so tasty it's hard to pass up I hope these ideas can serve as inspiration! Meal prep doesn't have to be hard. The freezer and microwave can be your friend, without reaching for processed meals.

I had a revision done on the 29th. From band to sleeve. So far I can tolerate almost anything. Except today I tried some watered down hummus and felt terribly sick after. That was the 1st real time I've had any nausea, or thought I might throw up. I'm terrified of vomitting, and rupturing a suture. I'm still struggling to get all my Water in. But so far, I've had blended Beans, oatmeal, avocado w/ plain Greek yogurt, and Protein shakes. Everything is blended super fine. Maybe the hummus was too thick still, or too heavy. Activity wise, I can walk around stores and the mall, but have to take it very slow, or I'll feel faint. I have a lot of head hunger, and feel like I need to chew things. Luckily, I haven't had much gas pains, walking seems to help. Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App

I hear ya! I have 14 days all liquid then ANOTHER 7 days of non clear liquid, which includes yogurt. I think my doc may be crazy 21 days liquid!!!

I am 5 days post-op sleeve. I was originally approved 1 year ago and cancelled surgery about 3xs for various reasons (fear, wanting lose weight on my own, timing at work, etc). Hwevr, I attended many free support group meetings facilitated by the program RD offered by my hospital so that I could get first hand knowledge and learn tips and strategies. This helped sooo much! The 1st couple of days in the hospital post-op was a little rough, but nothing unbearable. I also had a haitial hernia that I was unaware of that my surgeon repaired during the surgery, which Ive learned is very common for wls patients. Since coming home, I have had a lot of diarrhea, but Ive learned that many sugar-free things, including a couple of the bariatric vitamins have sugar alcohols (sorbital, sucralose, etc) that does not agree with my system. Im in the full-liquid stage til next week and today was the first day w/out diarrhea bec my RD said to start full-liquids and include hot cereals and yogurt (cream of wheat, grits, etc), which stopped it completely. I know im a post-op newbie but I have no regrets at all so far. Physically, my knees no longer hurt and I already have a diff kind of energy than before surgery that is a great feeling. I have no desire for sweets or fried foods or anything unhealthy. It may be bec im still sore and jst trying to get all of my basic proteins and fluids in, but I feel much better knowing that im finally on the other side of my wl journey [emoji4]

You're loss sounds good to me. I don't understand these negative docs. I loss 26lbs at my 2 week visit but only 6 at my 6week. My team was just as encouraging both times. Today I had lost another 16lbs and they were just over the moon. Don't beat yourself up. Work on upping your Protein. I mix greek yogurt in my protien shake and sometimes add a tbsp of almond butter. That alone will give you between 33 -38 gms of protein. That leaves the rest of the day to get in another 30. Are you exercising? I lose a lot better when I exercise at least 3 times a week. Even of it;s a 30 minute walk, do it. Keep working at it. Things will fall into place.

Unless you develop an eating disorder (see @@miller1109 's post above), it's quite simple. Every few days or every week or so you just eat an extra 100 calories ... until you stop losing. For those who don't track their calories / macronutrients / food using a tool like My Fitness Pal and who don't really know how much they're eating, it can be challenging. But even they can add a handful of nuts to their daily menus or an extra Greek yogurt or some bread at dinner. For me, the challenge in maintenance has been to eat a little more nutritious food and not just over-processed foods. I have so learned to appreciate since I was sleeved which foods are full of nutrition and which are full of ingredients that just make me crave sugary, high-carb, over-processed crap. Slider foods will push all your craving buttons, making you struggle not to regain.

I had the sleeve done 4 years ago. Lost 115 pounds. Gained about 20 pounds over the last year. I ended up with severe GERD, hiatal hernia and gallstones that cause severe pain. 9/6 I had the surgeries to fix all that which includes the bypass. It's been an interesting month. The healing process is different. Food going down too fast will definitely be coming back up (vomiting). Anything not chewed will be coming back up. Premier protein is smooth enough to stay down. Soups like French onion, chicken noodle (minute the noodles) veggie soup. Salmon. 2 good Yogurt and high protein high fiber oatmeal. Stays down for me. It's a big adjustment. I know that this is just a phase that we go through. I can eat boiled eggs now too. Eat slowly-chew slowly-swallow slowly. Drink 60 ounces of water. Follow the doctors orders. You'll loose weight I've seen people successfully keep the weight off with both. They stick to the high protein/low carb and don't eat anything they did before ( that made them obese....like breads, maccoroni, rice, flour, sugar, fried foods). How are you all managing constipation? That's been interesting. Take care and give yourselves room to adjust. Things will get better. We make the best of the tool ( bypass) and it will work for us. Everything will workout for the greater good. We deserve healthy and happy lives and we embrace them daily.

I eat breakfast at home, and I would get up earlier to do so if I was at work at the moment too. I love my breakie! DH eats at work and keeps a couple of different cold cereals (decent ones like Weetbix and organic muesli), instant oatmeal (but its so much less satisfying than proper rolled oats) bread and basic spreads there. He also occasionally takes yogurt - but not horrid thin artificially sweetened ones - the good gourmet greek yogurt that's really really thick and has fruit on the top that you stir in - those do fill you and you can always stire some muesli in. But he gets very bored. You could also eat good muesli bars (not crappy kid ones) or take some nice cheese, like brie or a fruit and nut cheese and have that with crackers.