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I recommend having some ice packs. I found they really helped with incision pain. If you like your Water cold, I recommend getting an insulated water bottle or cup. I love my ThermoTank. Your tastes will change, so don't buy too much of anything. Yogurt was my go-to pre-op. I liked it for the first week post-op, and now I can't stand it. Most sweet things have an off flavor to me. remember you will be eating tiny amounts. A single can of Soup will be enough for 3-4 meals. Your stomach doesn't feel any different, though you will likely burp more than before. Certain things will fill you up very fast. Feeling "full" doesn't always feel like full did before. It may be discomfort, or pressure, or burping. Certain foods will taste awesome going down, and then sit like a rock in your new stomach. I'm two weeks out, and here is what I actually used my first two weeks: 2 bottles Atkins Protein water 1 package Jello 1 package jello pudding 1 package sugar free Popsicles 3 cans of condensed soup Several containers of flavored yogurt Cream of wheat Small container of plain yogurt Crystal light/Mio Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I make a high Protein 'sorbet' in my Vitamix blender (makes 2-3 servings): Plain or vanilla greek yogurt (1 cup-ish) 1 scoop of unflavored or vanilla protein powder 1/2 - 1 cup frozen fruit (any you like - I use strawberries, peaches, mango, pineapple, etc. 1/8 - 1/4 cup almond milk (or other milk you like) - just enough to get the mixer going smoothly. (If you want a more milkshake like consistency, increase the milk.) Sometimes I add other ingredients, like a pinch of cinnamon in the peach or pineapple/mango, or a splash of lemon in the strawberry, and sometimes I put in a scoop of benefiber. You can also add in some carrot or other veggie, but be careful - they start to overwhelm the taste pretty quickly. Make just before you want it - leftovers will freeze solid (thawing in microwave for 10 sec. and/or reblending for a minute works to make it ice-creamy again.)

Thank you all for such a quick response. I do have a chart to keep measurements but I have to admit I have missed a week or 2 . Not staying consistent is one of my struggles that lead me here. the clothes are fitting better and when I do measure inches are definitely dropping. I have recently added flaxseed to my yogurt daily . But the lack of bm's got pretty bad 2 weeks ago and it was literally impacted.(sorry tmi).. The few times I jumped on the scale at the gym I was still at 195ish... been that weight since week 3. I get about 32-40 oz of Water a day eat plenty of Protein but have little to no Fiber in my diet.

24 lbs down, I'm eating soft foods starting this weekend. I've felt restriction as soon as I started eating flaked fish. My sleeve holds onto dense Protein. I made an omelet with 1 egg,smoked salmon. I could eat half of it. But I can eat yogurt 1/2 cup like a boss. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Consider yourselves lucky! I am in the 3rd week of liquid diet out of 5 total, pre- & post-op. I am able to have soup & nonfat Greek yogurt in addition to shakes & clears, which is a blessing. I will say I am really looking forward to Aug. 8th when I advance to pureed foods. Will make spinach, yogurt, banana green smoothies.

Hi everyone! I was sleeved 7/18/16, so I'm just over a week post-op. My surgeon has us go right into puréed foods, but I honestly cannot eat. The only thing my stomach will allow me is Water, which I drink plenty of. Protein shakes, yogurt, etc. I can only have maybe 1 oz of. I am worried this will effect my health. I am going to my doctor tomorrow so of course I will ask him about this too, but I figured I would see if anyone else has had this issue. HW: 250 Pre-op weight: 230 CW: 215 Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hey. Last night was my last supper. I had whatever I wanted. But now I have 2 weeks of only fat free / sugar free yogurt, sugar free jelly and Water. What I would suggest is don't go overboard on 'eating everything you can't have post surgery' Why do you only have to do a 2 day clear liquid diet before surgery? Don't you have to do a liver reduction diet? Im in the UK but I've noticed a lot of members on here from the US. Where are you? Every patient in the UK needs to do a 2 week lover reduction diet. X Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Hormone dump is rough. It happens because fat stores hormones, estrogen in particular, and that gets released when you are losing quickly. I was crying the other day because my son's poopy diaper made me lose my appetite in the middle of a meal. And later the same day I called my husband crying so hard he could only understand about a third of what I was saying because I felt bad at snapping at the kids. Think mega-PMS. The worst thing for me post-op is the bad taste in my mouth and certain foods taste -terrible-. I can't eat flavored yogurt or real lemonade right now. It has a nasty, nasty flavor to me. I'm hoping that will go away when the bad taste in my mouth clears up. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I haven't had any since surgery, only had maybe 1 in my life. I hate yogurt and don't touch it. We have a ladies only forum that you can post in for your feminine needs

Yes yogurt is a good way to keep them away. But what my nutrition said is we will get them and it's do to not taking in the probiotics. vagisil cream is also nice to keep the PH in balance down there. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Side effect of post op antibiotics maybe. The only thing that helps me is diflucan and many doctors will prescribe over the phone... Especially if they recently prescribed you antibiotics. First try your surgeon, then your gyno, then your pcp. Remember probiotics and yogurt.

Why are there so many different requirements for liquid diet? Some can have greek yogurt some can't. Some lean meats some can't. I wonder what is really necessary. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

It sounds as though you may need more calories with that workout. Try skipping the protein bars (many are high in fats and carbs) and have protein rich food (tuna, cheese stick, chicken, greek yogurt, hummus, cottage cheese). You may need to have 5-6 small meals to get enough protein and calories. Stay strong!

(I apologise in advance. This is going to be long and maybe a little graphic). Good question! I was moving from Japan back to Canada and with the stress of that the cramps and bowel movements became more pronounced. In particular, the stool was really different. It became very loose to pure liquid. Every colour of the rainbow came out, even a kind of translucent stool which I guess was solidified mucous. Even then I didn't think of going to the doctor until blood started appearing, which freaked me out. Unfortunately I had a trip planned to Vietnam before returning home, and I couldn't handle waiting for 3 weeks so I went to an international clinic there and they did a bunch of tests and told me they thought it was Crohn's or UC (and not cancer, which of course was my first assumption). They gave me meds and anti-inflammatories to deal with until I got back to Canada and could get tested properly. After my first colonoscopy I was told it was Crohn's-Colitis, but having seen a much better surgeon here in Japan he told me it was UC. He gave me the meds that I'm currently on (Pentasa, in both pill and enema form) and I've been happy with that. Unfortunately I have never lived in the same city as him, so going to see him regularly was a problem in the past, and now nearly impossible because of where I live now. I have yet to find a good gastroenterologist to replace him. So, instead of taking meds regularly, I take them when I have a flare-up, since I'm almost out. The problem with being obese is that a lot of doctors don't believe you could have a disease that often leaves people at the very low end of the BMI scale. One doctor in Japan told me I had diarrhea and to eat more fibre, without doing a single test to prove himself right and me wrong! This was when I was in a really bad flare-up and basically had blood and mucous pouring out of my a$$ many times a day (I know, TMI, but that's often the case with this disease). Similarly, the doctors in Canada were very reluctant to believe I had this condition until the tests came back from the colonoscopy (in fact, I remember seeing the infected areas as I was very awake (i.e. high on meds) during the entire procedure). I almost said "told you so" to the gastroenterologist when he told me I had Crohn's Colitis. He was clearly shocked at the diagnosis. I was very happy when I found my gastroenterologist here in Japan (he is not Japanese BTW) who took me seriously from the start and moved his schedule around so he could a colonoscopy the next day because he was so worried about my condition. Anyway, I have since found research articles that indicate up to 30% of people with Crohn's or UC are obese, which they can't explain. The problem with abdominal cramping and loose stools is that there are a lot of conditions that have similar symptoms, like lactose intolerance and celiac disease. I did go gluten-free for a month once (it was hard to maintain, mostly because I liked my beer in the summer months) and that helped tremendously with the symptoms (i.e. they disappeared). So clearly, even though I don't have celiac disease I have some level of gluten intolerance which causes flare-ups. Similarly, while most dairy I eat now is cheese or yogurt, when I add other things like normal milk or ice cream I get a lot of cramps so some lactose intolerance appears to be there too. But other things, like fibre (whole grains, gassy veggies, lettuce, fruit or vegetable peels, nuts, oatmeal, barley) are really problematic for me, as is alcohol (I'm off it now because I just can't deal with it). So...(sorry, this is really long!) UC symptoms include severe abdominal cramping - most of mine was in the 'corners' of the large intestine. Cramping could be caused by food or stress (sometimes delayed). Often a person has to go (#2) multiple times a day - this doesn't necessarily mean something will come out, but your rectum will be in full cramping mode, regardless of what's in your body. For me, once food or Water hits my stomach it will trigger a response in the lower GI tract, even though I know it's impossible for it to move that fast. That said, when symptomatic, food would pass through my system so fast I couldn't take any pills - birth control, Tylenol, whatever, would be sitting at the bottom of the toilet bowl an hour or two after I took it. The only time I've ever seriously lost weight is when I've been symptomatic with UC. One of the posters in the doctors office referred to "rectal urgency" which I thought was a great phrase to describe the feeling of needing to go "right now" - 30 sec or less, because you didn't know how long to hold back the cramping. I've had some accidents. The whole "never trust a fart" after weight loss surgery is true for Crohn's and UC patients as well. Sometimes the cramping is in my large intestine, sometimes the rectum. And sometimes it feels like I'm sh*tting fire acid out of my butt - like the digestive juices or something. It's very painful. If you look at the infographic here, I think a lot of UC patients have the bottom 3 types of loose stool (from loose and feathery to pure liquid). Blood and mucous are also usually part of the deal too. Even though it's always the lower bowels that are affected, I have found that antacids like Gaviscon, Tums, Pepto Bismol help reduce symptoms. I don't know why. Sometimes eating helps stop the cramping as well, which seems counterintuitive, but at least for me it would work. Okay, I gotta stop.

@@traceygirl Try having small servings of protein every 3 hours - 5 to 6 times a day. That could be tuna, chicken salad, hummus, greek yogurt, baked fish, salmon, protein shake, cottage cheese, deli meat etc. Are you on soft foods or can you have anything? Be sure to drink fluids (wait the amount of time your plan suggests after meals). You may want to add some healthy fats (avocado) and carbs (fruits & veggies) to your diet. Check in with your Nutritionist for some guidance too.

Regarding foods - there are some that cause trouble (for me - green vegetables like broccoli, salad, asparagus) and some, unfortunately that sooth (like bread and pudding!) You have to be very careful not to over indulge in the soothing carbs. I switched to whole grain everything so if I were to want bread, it was the nutty kind and bought sugar free pudding and ate lots of yogurt with fruit. And yes, after the 2nd month, it was manageable. But month 2 was rough - the acid reflux was very uncomfortable and concerning.

Awesome! I have to start mine August 5th (liquid diet) are you allowed to have certain raw veggies? I'm allowed but that's it other than certain liquids and of course sugar free Jello, pudding and yogurt. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My surgeon had me drink it last night, then only liquids today (no yogurt or jello). Have to stop liquids by 11PM Sent from my VS990 using the BariatricPal App

Two weeks. Two Protein shakes, two servings of dairy such as yogurt or milk, 3 oz of meat or cheese, 1/2 cup veggies, 1 piece of fruit. It was tough but I did it and didn't cheat. Surgeon said my liver looked great. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi there, I was sleeved on 7/7 and also had no problem with liquids since day 1. I can actually chug Water like I did pre surgery. I try not to do that though, but every now and then I find myself taking big gulps when I'm walking outside in the heat or whatever. Since I've been on purees and soft foods I DO feel a nice restriction. My plan recommends no more than 2 oz of food at a time so I've carefully weighed out my food on a scale. I feel the restriction right at 2 oz usually or just before. Less so with something like Greek yogurt than with say a scrambled egg. It's pretty cool. I have a much easier time getting 2 oz of food down at Breakfast than I do later in the day as well. Later in the day I am often satisfied with a small spoonful or two of food and will have to end my day with a Protein shake to get my protein in the liquid way.

I'm on pureed/soft foods. I'm finding it's a full time job to get enough protein from the small amounts of food I can eat so am still supplementing with at least 1-2 protein shakes a day. I've had scrambled eggs with and without cheese, canned salmon, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, hummus, other kinds of cheese, Greek yogurt, soft fish. 2 oz max at a time.

Hey, I Hit 3 weeks Fri 7/22. Not eating anything special. I eat turkey chili, various Soups (seafood chowder, lobster bisque, pumpkin bisque). I drink Protein shakes twice a day, today I had Boston Market turkey and mashed potatoes. I was able to eat 1 1/2 pieces of turkey (focused on that 1st) 1-2 spoonfuls of potatoes. I have been drinking smoothies made with fresh frozen fruit and greek yogurt. I also eat fresh fruit (probably not supposed to) like watermelon slices, bananas, peaches, cherries. I can eat about 5-6 cherries at a time, or 1/2 of a peach (peeled skin). I'll wait until soft foods to try steamed veggies but I try and shake it up a little.

What I've found to be ideal for me is to have lower carb meals and Snacks rather than a strict low-carb diet. I tend to log in anywhere from 50 to 90 grams of carbs a day, with most of it coming from fruit I put in high-Protein yogurt smoothies and vegetables. I've always lost weight on the strict low-carb diets, but always gained it right back. For me a lower carb diet has been more sustainable. One of my favorite summer lunches has been to make an open-face sandwich using crispbread as the base rather than bread. Trader Joe's recently started carrying one that I think is terrific. http://www.traderjoes.com/digin/post/whole-grain-crispbread It only has 7 grams of carbs, and a very satisfying crunch. My mother-in-law is Swedish and introduced me to crispbread sandwiches years ago, because it has long been a staple food for them, but until recently I didn't find as many brands that I liked as much in the US. If a Trader Joe's isn't near you, the Wasa brand is readily available in most grocery stores. IKEA also carries crispbread. I don't think they're as good as Trader Joe's, but I was content with them for a long time. I'll also have the crispbread as a snack, topping it with goat cheese and cucumbers, peanut / almond butter, or just having it with a little Kerry Gold butter. In the morning I'll sometimes top it with scrambled eggs. Atkins has a diet plan called Atkins 40 where you are to eat 40 net carbs per day, and one of my colleagues had success with it.

pureed and soft food. I did the ricotta bake tonight (wonderful) Beans, Apple sauce, yogurt all small quantities Sent from my SM-G920T using the BariatricPal App

I am day 11 po still on liquids and so hungry for something else. You can only eat so much Soup, yogurt and Jello Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App