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It depends on the day. Haha. In the early days, I ate 4-6 times per day. Now days I do a complicated rotation. It's the way I maintain my weight. This morning I was 129.4lbs--a Christmas Miracle I'm waiting to see if it sticks or not! If it does yay, if it doesn't I won't be devastated). But I'm at the bottom of a maintenance window I would not be sad to reduce by another 5 lbs to my BDG Goal = Barbie Dream Girl Goal. So it's business as usual for a Thursday for me = Meal 1: B1 - 3 protein lattes with 1oz of Premier Protein + 7 drops Vitacost Liquid Stevia + Decaff + ground cinnamon 1 cup tea (green decaff tea + Earl Grey decaff tea + 1 shot of unfiltered ACV + 1 lemon wedge + cayenne + ground cinnamon) Meal 2 (optional): B2 - I will either eat around 10-11 or I will skip if not hungry. Meal 3: L-Big Ass Salad (1 1/2-2c of salad + 2-3oz dense lean protein + 2-3tbsp Zero Cal Dressing + 1 serving healthy fat (I will eat this until full. Sometimes it's the whole thing and sometimes I finish the balance as my afternoon snack) OR Turkey Cheese Rollup with raw greens and veggies OR Green Soup OR Green Smoothie with fiber OR Can of Sardines and Raw Veggies Meal 4 (optional and regulated by hunger): AS-Either leftovers from lunch OR cup of Herb OX no sodium broth + baby greens + mushrooms OR 1 hardboiled egg OR 3-5 oz of raw veggies + 1/4c fat free Greek Yogurt Dip (Tzaziki, Ranch, Onion, Asian) Meal 5: D-3oz protein + 1-2oz veg + 1oz avo/1oz tom + 1 serving healthy fat or extra cheese Meal 6 (optional and regulated by hunger): BS-usually a decaff + 1oz Premier Protein OR 1-2oz underripe GS Apple or pear + 1tbsp nut butter OR 14g walnuts or almonds OR 1 square 90% Lindt Chocolate + 14g walnuts or almonds

Just checking in a week post-op VSG. I’m doing really well, meeting protein and water goals. I can take about 3 swallows of water at a time, which works out to about 3 oz. Then I gotta allow 10 min or so before I put anything else down the chute. At first I couldn’t even get 3 oz of my protein shakes down at a time, but now I’m getting half shakes down 4 times a day. I also had some Greek yogurt tonight. I absolutely hated Greek yogurt before surgery, but was so good and felt good in my stomach too. I also now like unsweetened tea and I used to be 100% sweet tea girl. It’s absolutely crazy how your body changes. Good luck to everyone with surgeries coming up this week. Thoughts and prayers are with you all. The pain doesn’t last forever, and things will get better quickly. Soon, we’ll all be looking back and celebrating our success and seeing these moments of struggle as just stumbling blocks on our journey! Oh, and 22 pounds down from start of pre-op as of this morning!! 🎉🎉 Much love to all! 💕

I can put away a whole egg too. Depending on what it is I can eat about 2-4oz. I'm about 5 weeks as well.. As far as breakfast. What about turkey sausage, oatmeal with protein powder, or yogurt. I'm still mostly drinking my breakfast.

Kayleen i don't see/have any problem always chewing my food to pieces keeps my jaw busy, and so i'm not talking LOL (DH reading over my shoulder ) it is like the "inhaling" of food pre WLS changed to now chewing, chewing always natural instinct for me is to chew its pretty funny when i realize i'm "chewing" yogurt "NEW" habits die hard good luck kathy

I have tried it and use it occasionally. The problem with adding it to things is the temperature. YOu cannot cook well with it because it clumps above 140 degree f. Adding to a drink would be kind of weird, but possible. I have added small amounts to yogurt, but no the full amount because it would dry it up pretty badly.

Glad you liked it ratio also makes a granola that is awesome in the yogurt 8g protein 2 net carb 1g sugar Sent from my SM-A716U using BariatricPal mobile app

OK. I have 15 days. FIFTEEN days. I've been trying to wean myself from diet sodas. That's going to be my downfall. And coffee. I ordered half decaf the other day at my favorite restaurant and I think the waitress thought I'd lost my mind. :thumbup: They bring you a whole personal pot of coffee to sit at the table, so I just looked at her and said, "fill the pot half full of regular and then top it off with decaf". Duh. I couldn't really tell a difference, thankfully, but I have a feeling I'm going to be missing coffee something terrible. The only thing the nurse told me over the phone was that I'd be "clear liquids" the 24 hours prior to my surgery. That was it. I've been expecting some godawful pre-op diet that required me to only drink blue sodas every fifth bathroom trip and to stand on my head while eating my yogurt or something. :thumbup: F I F T E E N D A Y S ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! I will probably explode before then. At least it will save the doctor the surgery time. :thumbup:

Hey all. Not sure if you all remember me, I was the girl that might have the problem with insurance. Turns out they said they'd cover til the end of the month so my surgery was covered. My follow-up appt wont be covered do to the switch to my new insurance, but they said they'll back date it... so yeah!! March 20th was the D-day... so I'm officially 5 days post op!! Anyhow... they said I did great. My liver was enlarged and fatty... big surprised. I was in recovery FOREVER waiting on a room but it was worth the wait... had an AMAZING recovery nurse and the room was HUGE... felt like I was in a hotel. Lol. New furniture and all. (they just opened their own bariatric wing this year at hopkins). The over night nurse was wonderful and she had a trainee with her who was just as great. They were RIGHT on top of it, if I need ANYTHING. I was nausated for a good day afterwards... plenty of anti-nausea medication!!! The gas pain didnt start til I was post-op two days but is finally gone. I'm getting liquids down more now. Easier. How do people get enough Protein in at this stage? I'll put some in my carnation instant Breakfast. I plan to add it to things when I'm doing puree starting Friday. :thumbup: My left side is starting to really bother me at times. Like out of the blue I'll get a pain from around my port. Can't WAIT for that to be over. :tongue: I am sooo tired of yogurt, pudding, chicken broth, and crystal light I could scream. I can not wait to just have some mashed potatoes, bananas, heck even some baby food looks yummy at this point. I just just cant wait to be able to choose alittle more of what I can eat!!

Sophiespo, don't beat yourself up. You are not bteaking up w food, just changing the abusive co-dependent relationship w it. There are plenty of healthy softer foods that can go down too. Greek yogurt, soft cooked veggies, veggie soup, boiled meat(like the meat in mexican restaurants), stews, tuna fish...etc.. I cannot eat any of my favorites any more since my last fill. And I am a food lover, my whole family is. You will mourn but when your britches feel loose and you start to feel a collar bone, or like me, when I sit on the back of my bike and I'm not squished all over my husband, and he notices, then that starts to taste really good, alot better than my pizza & porkchops. Oh yeah, baked, mater sauce, mozzarella, boiled ground sausage tastes really good, and is easily swallowed too.

Oh wow, this 9cc fill is really tough! I have been eating things like soup, yogurt, and stew, and even the stew beef, all chewed up, is tough! This is really good restriction. Everyone who has tried, knows that eating chips is EASY, but I had about 4 corn chip (fritos) a little bit ago, and it feels like im gonna bring it back up! Is this too tight? I am able to eat beef stew...I haven't had the guts to try chicken yet, but that was my main source of protein prior tothis fill. I am also able to eat a protein bar, as long as the bites are tiny and i chew them up really well.

I have not been working out hardly at all in the "go to the gym" sense but I'm challenging myself to up my step count and have been logging both steps and food religiously for 17 days today My high was 11k but I was shocked and embarrassed to find that my "normal" routine only had me about 3500 steps per day! That's very couch potato! So I've been pushing myself to find new ways to step more (even doing 100 steps in the stall each time I go to the bathroom which, because of my Water intake, is a lot!) I have also tried to increase my workload around the house with things like laundry, dishes and vacuuming. Big problem is I still get lightheaded when I bend over and come back up from postural hypotension, so it can be challenging/annoying to lose my balance/focus. My dr said, keep it at light cardio type activities with no lifting over 20 lbs and no jiggling/pounding so even jogging is off limits till my next appointment in a few weeks. My favorite foods right now are chicken waldorf salad, greek yogurt (eat it everyday!), Peanut Butter and hummus. I read a great article yesterday on Bariatric Foodie for one ingredient add-ins to spice up Protein shakes and I am amazed that my love of Protein Shakes could be renewed but it is! I had one with unflavored protein, chocolate fudge sf pudding 1/2 a box, and 3 drops of coconut extract. It was seriously like drinking a mounds bar, so good. This morning I had vanilla protein with "TrueOrange" which is orange essence crystals, no sugar. CREAMSICLE oh man it was good. So SF pudding mixes, just a few drops of extract, or the "TrueOrange, TrueLemon, TrueLimes" make a world of difference and make me look forward to protein shakes again!! I take bariactiv Vitamins, 2 chewable Multivitamins, 2 chewable calcium+d, 1 Iron, and nasal b12 every monday. I also do the calcium chewables at night (when I remember) because the bariactiv calls for two doses per day but i just never get around to the second dose, but a caramel sweetie somehow gets me to take it Gents move on, but for ladies esp anyone pcos… I have really bad pcos, to the point the fertility dr said nothing i can do to help you just go lose weight and hope. Post op I was told that oral contraception wasn't reliable for bc and for regulating the hormones enough to maintain a regular cycle. So I'm also supplementing with 550 mg dong quai root, which is an herbal, but it has a blood thinner effect and also draws blood to the pelvic region which helps both with cycles and with constipation. It's also supposed to help calm tom and stop pain and cramps. I can feel a huge difference even though I haven't had tom since surgery I can feel it coming hopefully soon. I have also noticed that the pain in my ovaries has all but disappeared, no stabbing/pulling feelings. So I'm hoping its working some magic for me, because the pill itself tastes gross so it's a pain to have to take it everyday.

I've lost 40lb overall, including the two week preop diet. It seems like I'm a slow loser compared to the others, but I think it's because of my PCOS. I'm meticulous about weighing and tracking what I eat. I hope I don't have to do it forever, but for the time being, it's keeping me on track and accountable, and it's teaching me what's the right amount of what sorts of things to eat. @@tattoogirl233, if I were you, I'd be careful about just eating what you want, even if it's only a little bit. That might not be why you're losing slowly now (everyone's body is different), but it could be the thing that keeps you from being as successful as you could be long term. Do you have any idea how much protein you eat vs. carbs? Or even how many calories? What about your water? These are important things to know. Also, there's no reason you can't eat what you want, as long as what you want is healthy food. I've been pretty lucky, because even though I ate some junk food in the old days, I've also always loved good, healthy whole foods (I just used to eat waaay to much of even them). Yeah, there are some things I miss, but I'm certainly not feeling deprived now or forcing myself to eat things I don't like (with the exception of my morning protein shake perhaps). I realize already liking "healthy" food gives me an edge up in this, you'll feel so much better without all the processed stuff. To give you an idea of what my high protein (vegetarian) diet looks like, here's today: Breakfast: 1 slice of protein bread, mustard, 2 slices of Tofurky deli slice, half a slice of cheddar cheese, lettuce (I ate half) Lunch: second half of the above sandwich Dinner: I made a yummy curried chickpea yogurt dip and I'll have a couple tablespoons of that with some veggies Snacks: I have some Babybells and blueberries in the fridge. I'll probably have one Babybell and some point and maybe 1/3 cup blueberries. Also, dry roasted soybeans (they basically taste like peanuts and are like high protein crack!). I'll also intersperse two protein shakes throughout the day. This is what works for me. You need to find what works for you, but it should be something that will set you up for long term success. The extreme restriction won't work forever, so my bet would be that eating a little of whatever you want, isn't going to do that.

Hi guys, I was scheduled to have surgery on October 28th, but on my way to Mexico I got stuck at Newark and had to turn back due to my flight being cancelled. So I'm rescheduled for November 8th, the surgeon was super nice and agreed to fit me in even though he was full that day (I'm going to see Jaime Ponce de Leon in Tijuana). So I get to do the 3 day yogurt fast again, ugh. It was so hard the first time, I'm not a huge yogurt eater and that's a bit much! I would have done anything for something salty towards the end! Chicken broth would have been heavenly. Anyways, so now I guess the stress starts again, it built up the week before my first scheduled surgery and now it's building up again. I tend to have panic issues in hospitals so I'm hoping I can make it through this without a panic attack (they're not triggered by pain, but more by feeling tied down, I'm claustrophobic and being tangled up in IV wires and not being able to be comfortable in the bed etc, they all add up to me hyperventilating and thinking that I'm going to die, fun times!). So a bit more about me, I'm 35, have 2 kids, a 6 year old daughter and a 3 year old son. I've been married for almost 14 years now (wow, can't believe that long!). We live near Montreal, Canada.. I'm a graphic artist, my husband is a scriptwriter for a video game company. We both spend way too much time in front of our computers! I'd love to lose about 160 pounds... I'm lucky in that I have no comorbidities (that I know of!) right now. I may have sleep apnea, who knows, I've never been tested for that. No diabetes though, and I figured I'd rather lose the weight now before I destroy my joints and develop other problems. I have for a long time told myself "I don't need WLS, I can do this myself", but I can never lose weight long term. I can lose it fine over a short term, but I just can't keep it off. Really hoping this is the solution!

Maybe everyone could write down3-5 things they eat? Other than yogurt and cottage cheese. I'll start: 1. I eat, 2 oz. of lean hamburger sauteed with mushrooms or scrambled egg. 2. I make TJ's Morningstar Tomato and Basil Pizza buger. 120 cals 10 pro,6 fat, 7 carb 3. TJ's spinch and kale bites. Portion is 4, I can only eat 3, so 3 is 105 cal, 4.5 pro, 5.2 fat and 9 carb 4. TJ's Organic Butternut squash soup, 70 cals, 1 Pro, 0 fat, 17 carbs 5. Miso broth 10 cals, .5 pro, .2 fat, 1.5 carbs not nutricious but a good filler 6. TJ's frozen pizza with carmelized onion, ham and gruyere cheese, I eat 1/4 pie, 35 cals, 1.5 pro, 1.8 fat, 3.2 carbs 7. Whole Foods, chicken pot pie, I eat 1/4 pie, 80 cals, 1.5 pro, 4.8 fat, 8.5 carbs. 8. I recently discovered an expensive treat at Whole Foods called Raincoast Crisps, 6 peices is the portion, 130 cals, 4 pro, 3 fat, and 13 carbs. So 4 through 8 are heavy on the carbs but believe it or not, near the end of my day, I am often short carbs and fats, and up to 60 on proteins so I need some of these to balance and also break up the monotany of eating. I use my fitness pal to plan ahead and see what I need for the day. I never eat after Noon without checking first to see what I need, to achieve my goals. I am not perfect but I am trying very hard to be. Tomorrow, I have my support group and a nutritionist is going to speak. I will take notes and share later. Looking forward to new ideas. Ainslee

My preop diet sounds about the same. I get four shakes per day plus one yogurt. My surgeon says the same thing about shrinking the liver to make it easier for them to perform the surgery.

Hello November sleevers!! as some of you know I was sleeved Monday. was released Thursday!y. The surgery was textbook. I woke in recovery in some pain, more discomfort than anything else. Very sore. They gave me some diludid. I woke up in my room that night with vicious dry mouth. Every time I tried to move it was so uncomfortable. For a brief moment laying in my bed a couple hours after surgery I asked "why did I do this" Then a wonderful nurse realized I was uncomfortable. She got me a cold sponge lolly pop to use on my lips and tongue. That, mixed with painkillers I received I began to change my tune :-) I woke up the day after surgery feeling better. Went for the leak test and passed. I was so happy bout that. Then they removed my catheter (guys worst nightmare) After said catheter was removed life got a whole lot better. Because I passed my leak test I was able to have water and diet juice or decaf coffee and tea. Even ate some yogurt. I was feeling much better at this point. Still sore of course, I mean I just had major surgery. I tried to fight the pain meds and that was my biggest mistake. I don't want everyone to think I was in excruciating pain, it was more discomfort from the gas pains and Soreness from the incision sites and external drain. Side note : Dr Kim is a brilliant surgeon. I honestly believe she is at the top of her field . My incisions sites look like tiny scratches, they are so clean and are healing incredibly. I want to take another minute to acknowledge her personality and her bedside manner. She made time to see me personally 4 times after surgery. With her hectic schedule that meant alot. She explained my leak test In detail to me and my mom. She explained that when I woke up it wouldnt be pain so much as a pressure in your chest. Boy was she right! So after Getting some fluids in I started to feel much better. I went for a few walks with a physical therapist that actually made me feel better, to be up and moving. They bring an assortment of bariatric fluids to your room 3 times a day, to see which one you can tolerate. Plain yogurt never tasted so good! The I had my drain taking out after realizing I was healing properly. I was able to take a shower and all was well Thank you all for asking about me..I just saw some of your posts and felt I had to let you know..It means alot to know people Ive nenver met care about my well being..I thank you all again, and hope to talk with you all often..

Okay guys. I need HELP!! I am nearly 2 weeks post op (Tuesday) and I am having the WORST time getting Protein in. I'm supposed to be aiming for 48 grams and I'm lucky to get 10. Any of my protein shakes, unflavored proteins, warm soups just make me nauseous- INSTANTLY. I have found frozen yogurt Proyo that has protein and is cold, but I can't live on that [emoji30]. I'm exhausted, weak and CRAVING chicken salad-the goupy stuff. I'm ready for the next level, but I'm not cleared yet. What are some things yall are doing to meet your Protein goals? HW 303 SW 278 CW 263 GW 150 Sleeved 3/6/18

This is CRAZY!!! I have a protein shake with 30 grams protein and 1cup milk (unjury chocolate). Then I have an oikos yogurt. Then Protein shake (I go with vanilla this time) then oikos yougurt. Then Protein shake. I do have the unjury chicken soup protein powder, but I haven't used that yet. Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I've just had bad, bad allergies. Sneezing a ton and sometimes feel a little pain in the port area but the doctor didn't seem too concerned about it. As far as pills go, try to get everything in liquid. I had to have a prescription rewritten even though I told them liquid before hand. You can take em by crushing them and then putting them in yogurt or SF pudding but it's such a pain. Tylenol Liquid Blast and I were good friends when I had a toothache.

I thought that it might be kinda of cool to get some recipes from all you Nymphs (especially those that can cook). I have made a few in the last few weeks that taste great and are getting me through. Since my last fill, I have not been able to eat anything comfortably in the morning this this Protein shake has been a God sent. Cindy's Fruit smoothie 1/2 cup 1% milk 1/2 cup non-fat strawberry yogurt 1/2 cup mandarin oranges 1 scoop of Any whey or powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury Protein powder 4 frozen strawberries 2 tsp Splenda 4 Ice Cubes Blend until the ice is crushed. This is my new addiction...I love it because it tastes so friggin' awesome. Almost to good! It also nets a huge glass. For you Low Carbers this is great alone or on veggies or with RF Wheat Thins Cheesy Spinach & Bacon Dip 1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained 1 lb. (16 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cut up 1 can (10 oz.) RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained 8 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, crisply cooked, drained and crumbled or 1 Jar of real bacon bits COMBINE ingredients in microwaveable bowl. MICROWAVE on HIGH 5 min. or until VELVEETA is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 3 min. Cindy

I bought some greek yogurt - bearded opened it one day, took a bite and threw it away - said it was the nastiest stuff he'd ever tasted (it was blueberry flavor I believe) -- so I still have never tasted it! It wasn't FAGE Greek yogurt, but it was greek yogurt - does it make a difference??

First, don't get the ones with fruit in them. They are full of SUGAR. Second, natural, unsweetened greek yogurt tastes a lot like sour cream. So most people don't like it plain. I add artificial sweetener to them and sometimes my own fruit (which is not full of sugar like the stuff they add in the factory). What I like about it is that it's very rich and creamy compared to something like Yoplait lite. If it tastes bad after you add the sweetener, just add more. :confused:

You know, one thing I'm seriously looking forward to on August 12 (my first day of pureed food) is being able to put other things in my Protein shake. Like blueberries. Or strawberries. Or mix it with yogurt or cottage cheese. Or any number of other things that make me start salivating just to think about, merely because it's DIFFERENT. I am so tired of SWEET-SWEET-SWEET!!! I don't think I'll ever be able to eat Jello again, and even broths have utterly lost any appeal. The one good thing about getting so sick of drinking anything sweet is that it's dead-easy to drink Water now. I put in about a teaspoon of lemon or lime juice in every glass, with ice, and it is soooo refreshing.

I had Chike coffee shake today. 2 scoops mixed with Water over ice. It was excellent. First time since my surgery (12/12/14) that I was able to drink a whole Protein drink. It wasn't super sweet like the rest of the Protein drinks. Only problem is it only has 20 grams of protein per shake. Can anyone recommend an unflavored powder I can put in yogurt or pudding?

Feeling good now, got a little brave this morning and tried some scrambled eggs and cottage cheese, maybe a tbsp of each. Ouch.... Food is going to take time! Not drinking with the food is also a huge challenge. Only takes about 2 tbsp of yogurt to fill me up as well. Thought I was feeling good enough to skip pain meds today but starting to get a little more pain and soreness, may have to get a small dose.