Search the Community

jccanada, I'm with pammieanne, it was constantly drilled no drinking anything 30 minutes before, or 30 minutes after, or during a meal. With that said, I am just over 8 weeks out from surgery, and my diet consists of mainly chicken, fish, ground meat (steak doesn't sit well yet), and pork. Fish I can do either fresh Water fish or shellfish. I do greek yogurt still, a Protein shake here and there, non-dairy ice cream (coconut milk or cashew milk), even though it has macaroni, Stouffer's Mac and cheese single serving cups, most cooked veggies. Things I still cannot eat: Steak, Lima Beans, Bread (by choice, not because I can't), Rice (again, by choice. I haven't tried either though), fries (fried food...nope!). You catch the drift. I stay away from those foods that I should not eat ever, and indulge in moderate type foods sparingly. Softer foods are ok. I can eat a few fruits now as well. I hope things improve for you.

I love triple zero yogurt! What flavor has that much Protein? I think mine is around 16g. Sent from my SM-G925V using the BariatricPal App

Don't stress,my hat only makes it worse. Try focusing on eating protein and veggies ONLY for awhile. It will get you through the carb craving phase and should jump start the weight loss. Eat eggs, cottage cheese, cheese sticks, chicken, turkey, lean red meats, beans, carrots, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, low fat Greek yogurt... Do you have a mandatory weight loss amount before surgery?

I had my sleeve surgery on 4/13/16. So I'm almost 2 mo. out. Glad to finally make it to eating almost all foods. Here are some things that have caused slight problems. anyone else experience this. Hard to get these to move through stomach: --swallowing pills (even after cutting in half) --Fiber foods like cereals (raisin bran, Kashi) --whole grain oatmeal --crackers When you say "move through the stomach" what do you mean? Do you throw them up? Do they make you feel sick? How do you know they are "not moving through the stomach"? If you have a serious condition like gastroparesis, you should consult a doctor. Side note, I never touched cereals of any kind, or crackers, or any other thing with grain until I hit my goal weight. That stuff will not help you lose weight IMO. Also my weight loss has slowed. What helps most: exercise drinking lots of Water eating less, and only eating Protein and frozen veg eating NO sweets or Desserts The last two. Exercise is not terribly helpful when it comes to losing weight. As they say, the battle for weight loss is won in the kitchen, not in the gym. http://www.vox.com/2016/4/28/11518804/weight-loss-exercise-myth-burn-calories Focus on eating protein, green veggies, and healthy fats such as small amounts of nuts, olive oil, grass fed butter, etc. High carb foods like fruit and dairy should be in moderation and IMO stay away from sweets, grains, and high carb veggies such as potatoes. I try to eat yogurt with fruit when i want something sweet. Be careful about amounts and types of fruit and yogurt -- stick with Greek yogurt without much added sugar and lower carb fruits like berries and peaches (tropical fruits such as bananas and mangoes have tons of carbs and sugars). Also I have resumed drinking coffee in a.m. but not sure how to do it since you can't eat and drink at same time. So is it best to have a cup of coffee and wait 1 hr before Breakfast. Or to eat something first thing like an egg cooked, then wait an hr before having coffee? My plan doesn't call for waiting an hour before and after food for drinking, only waiting for 30 minutes after food for drinking. I love my coffee too much to wait! If I had to follow your plan, I would drink my coffee first, wait, then eat. But I think whatever works better for you is fine. Good luck!

Hi all, I had my sleeve surgery on 4/13/16. So I'm almost 2 mo. out. Glad to finally make it to eating almost all foods. Here are some things that have caused slight problems. anyone else experience this. Hard to get these to move through stomach: --swallowing pills (even after cutting in half) --Fiber foods like cereals (raisin bran, Kashi) --whole grain oatmeal --crackers Any suggestions? Are there some foods that no matter how far out from surgery you decide just to avoid?? Also my weight loss has slowed. What helps most: exercise drinking lots of Water eating less, and only eating Protein and frozen veg eating NO sweets or Desserts I try to eat yogurt with fruit when i want something sweet. Also I have resumed drinking coffee in a.m. but not sure how to do it since you can't eat and drink at same time. So is it best to have a cup of coffee and wait 1 hr before Breakfast. Or to eat something first thing like an egg cooked, then wait an hr before having coffee? thanks in advance,

Hummus, cottage cheese, soft cheese, greek yogurt, beans, tuna, baked fish, ... You need to get your protein and water in.

5 weeks post op. Starting weight was185 lbs. I'm 5'3", 65, and had problems w asthma attacks, sleep apnea, acid reflux, etc. Thats why i went thru the procedure. Expensive for just 50 lbs. Already lost 16 lbs. My surgery went very well, surgeon also found a hernia & removed it. For 3 weeks just liquids, then puree, then softfoods. I was very weak last week incl Saturday; almost fainted at the Nail Salon. This week i seem to b a lot better. Increased food intake. Now im trying to let Protein in my system. I love carbs, miss them tremendously, specially rice. (Latino upbringing, rice n Beans being the main course, animal products just a side dish). I drink a lot of liquid yogurt, liquid Coco Protein, etc. My only concern is that my upper abdomen is bulged. Contents take a long time to go down. Also miss Water w my meals. I need suggestions on nonbulging foods that taste good. Tired of Soups, liquid yogurt. I need food. Any help would b appreciated. Thank you. L Sent from my SM-N900T using the BariatricPal App

You could always add in some high-Protein snacks: Greek yogurt, string cheese, turkey, tuna, Peanut Butter, etc. make good options.

I was sleeved 5/27 and still no bowel movement, except for 3-5 loose stools that I had the first week, other than that nothing! I am moving to purée soft foods tomorrow after my follow up with MD tomorrow. I haven't had any solids, except 2 yogurts so I'm not that worried, yet! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I haven't read through the entire thread, so forgive me if my post has repetitive information. Your stomach hasn't stretched, but it has healed since your surgery, thus allowing you to consume more without experiencing as much discomfort as you might have previously. There's a bariatric surgeon named Dr. Matthew Weiner who has a channel on YouTube with informative videos that I recommend you check out if you haven't seen then yet. He discusses common myths about bariatric surgery, including the misconception that your stomach stretches out. He explains how the healing progress impacts your feeling of satiety and comfort levels when eating. There are general guidelines for everyone who's had WLS or is trying to lose weight, but we also have to figure out what works best for us as individuals. Some people abstain entirely from all bread, rice, and Pasta, and are successful in their weight loss. Some have it in moderation, and are equally successful. I try to not make any food into a "forbidden fruit" by forbidding it from my diet, but instead have it in small quantities infrequently rather than habitually. Others go cold turkey. What's a boatload of food to one person is a reasonable amount for another. I think the key is to learn your body and your mind and do what works best for you. If you ate the second half of the sandwich because you were still hungry, I think that's fine. Your appetite can fluctuate depending on various factors, from what else you've eaten that day to your level of activity. There are days when I'm feeling ravenous and can eat more, and days when it takes me two attempts spaced an hour or more apart to have a cup of Greek yogurt. If you ate the second half just because it was still there, or because you felt compelled to finish it, then it's really not a big deal but you might want to avoid doing that again. I keep insulated lunch bags in my car and office for leftovers. I try to either eat when I'm genuinely hungry, or on a schedule (which helps me to avoid getting to the point where I'm so hungry I'd eat whatever wasn't nailed down). I don't really eat sandwiches all that often, but when I do I typically will take half the bread off and eat it open-face. If I'm really wanting something that feels like a sandwich I'll put the contents on a Wasa crispbread (low carb). In the early stages, tracking what you eat and focusing on your total goals for the day is helpful. There's so many useful tools. Many chain eateries let you figure out specific information for your meals through calculators they have online. You pick the bread, fillings, condiments, etc, and it then tells you the calories, carbs, fat. Subway probably has this if you're interested. I think what's important is putting meals into context. If you've eaten a flatbread turkey sandwich after a strenuous workout that burned a lot of calories, and you've had lower carb, healthy foods throughout the rest of the day, then it's not going to have the same impact as if you'd been sedentary and your other meals were carb-heavy. The Washington Post recently had an article about how it can be detrimental to cut your carbs too much if you've intensified your workouts. There's also plenty of research about how eating too many carbs when you're not exercising enough leads to weight gains or stalls. So you have to determine what works best for your own lifestyle.

Another trick for adding protein at this stage is PB2. This is powdered peanut butter. They press the nuts to remove most of the fat then pulverize the nuts. Sprinkle on cottage cheese with sliced banana, mix into greek yogurt, add to a smoothie (chocolate Premier Protein shake with peanut butter...yum). Regular peanut butter could very easily break my calorie bank at this stage, so PB2 was a god send.

I had my surgery the same day. Did not have any complications, except being weak from so little intake. Now I'm ok. I hve been able to add heavier Soups, chicken, liquid yogurt, etc. So far so good Sent from my SM-N900T using the BariatricPal App

The RNY surgery is a seriously extensive surgery. You will be healing for about a year. If you are having problems getting fluids down, try sugar free popsicles. Your whole abdomen is inflamed. One of the biggest mistakes people don't even realize they are making is that you have to SLOW DOWN your drinking. You cannot drink like before. Another thing that causes pain, very bad pain, is the pain meds. Did you go home with a script for liquid meds? Guess what is in that: In addition the following inactive ingredients are present: anhydrous citric acid, artificial cherry flavor, FD&C Blue #1, FD&C Yellow #6, high fructose corn syrup, methylparaben, polyethylene glycol, propylparaben, purified Water, saccharin sodium, and sodium citrate. Do you see it? If you are going to continue with pain meds, switch to regular strength Tylenol, crush it and put it in yogurt or applesauce. Yeah it's gonna taste terrible but no more of that crazy side and back pain you get from the liquid solution. Keep on hand or sugar free popsicles, Gas X, and Tylenol.

My surgeon just wanted me to lose 10lbs between October and my surgery last month. I lost nothing until January when they told me if I didn't start losing some weight I would not qualify then they gave me an easy diet I could try Breakfast Protein shake or 2 eggs Snack Light Yogurt Lunch Lean Cuisine Snack cheese Stick/Smartfood (something in the 100 calorie range) dinner Small portion of my normal family dinner or another Lean Cuisine I lost 40 lbs between February 2 and May 5

Okay, enough with the whole Dr. Phil crap. We ask a lot of questions on this forum and get a lot of answers. I have yet to see anyway say "thanks" after being shamed. Yes, you can freely lecture others. You can also fart in a restaurant. Those around you generally feel the same in either case! In terms of the OP's question: 1. I'm not sure how big a 6" flatbread is, but it sounds like less than a large slice of bread in terms of carb volume - I think many of us could eat one slice of bread 2 months post opt. We'd be full, but we could get it down. 2. No two sleeves are the same and men seem to have more capacity than women. I've been topping out at about 8 ounces of dense food since month 3. 3. You're volume capacity will change from day to day. One day, you find yourself eating a normal skinny girl meal. The next day, you'll feel full after a small yogurt. 4. I'm an old pizza fan and enjoy a slice or a flatbread every month or so. When I do, I know I'm ingesting a "forbidden fruit", so I savor and contemplate every bite. To me, the key is logging everything and watching the carb to Protein ratio. I also find that bad days start with too many carbs too early in the day. Good luck...

Sleeved may 13. dropped almost 20 lbs in the last 5 weeks and have only 25 more to go. I recently moved to soft diet and am having lots of trouble. eating is so difficult and the only thing that goes down easy is icecream which i started eating recently. i know that is bad and will stop. I got really sick of Protein shakes. realistically i am getting 40 grams protein and 40 ounces of Water a day. I feel really lousy. tired and sick. i just cant look at Protein Shakes anymore and getting protein is tough otherwise. today i put a little piece of chicken, mashed sweet pototo (1/4 cup) and half a jar of gerber banana apricot in ablender. sounds gross but i felt it was the first balanced meal i had in a few days. i had to travel for work and im struggling with what to eat on the road. i do yogurts and cottage cheese.... i dont mean to complain bc the weight loss has been transformative and wicked fast and I am beyond happy with how I look. I think its slowing down now. im sure the ice cream helps but I am ok with that. I wasn't expecting to lose this fast anyway. I need to get used to this ..

Everyone is different. I'm 8 months out and I can't even consume an 80 calorie container of yogurt in one sitting. I do find if you are questioning yourself, you are probably doing that for a specific reason. Just ask your surgeon. He knows you the very best. On a side note I'm not about removing all food options from our diet. It's about being smart and mindful.

Whew, the first four weeks are now behind me! I've been doing quite a bit of reflecting on my experience so far, and here are some of my thoughts: 1. I've lost 27 pounds! I'm so excited by the numbers on the scale. Still wearing the same clothes though. I have a box in my bedroom already labeled "too big", and I can't wait to start filling it with clothes to give away! 2. The first few days sucked way more than I expected (too much vomit!), but after that it's actually been a pretty easy recovery. I'm meeting and often exceeding my Fluid and Protein goals. 3. I'm surprised that I don't miss junk food. I don't mind when my kids eat ice cream in front of me, or when we order a pizza. I'm mostly content with my tuna, or scrambled egg, or hummus, or cheese. However, I am starting to tire of the soft foods I've been eating and am looking forward to getting the docs okay to start trying a greater variety of foods. 4. I really want to take a bubble bath. I'm thinking I probably could at this point, but I'm such a stickler for the rules that I'm not going to do it until doc says ok. Since I was self pay, I really want to avoid any possible complications that will cost even more money! 5. Before surgery, I didn't really want to tell anyone. Now I'm so excited about my new, healthier lifestyle, that I want to shout it from the rooftops to anyone who will listen. I have not had any negative reactions from the people I've told. If they had negative opinions about it, they've kept it to themselves, so that's good. 6. I think I may be lactose intolerant now. Ive switched to soy milk, but yogurt and cheese don't seem to bother me. Not sure if things will stay this way, or if it's just part of my healing process and it will go away with time. 7. I've started a small garden, I've been walking every day, and I have TWO vacations planned in the next 4 months - Mexico with the kids, and New England fall colors with the husband. Life feels great right now and I haven't regretted the surgery once! Thanks for reading. This site has been very helpful for me so far, and I plan to stay connected here as part of my commitment to a new lifestyle. Christi Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I also had food early. Like 7 or 8 days in. I had cheese, greek yogurt, grilled squash, and delivery lunch meat (not all in one day, but I cheated with those.) Sent from my SM-N920V using the BariatricPal App

You can make Protein Fraps coffee chocolate flavored protein from GNC I add vanilla stevia to mine I also put in half a oikos triple zero vanilla yogurt Dang tastey, and I like the energy boost.

After five months, I can eat almost anything in small amounts. I've noticed that I throw away a lot of food without guilt now. We just got home from camping last night. I took yogurts and fruit, fresh cheese ravioli and premade sauce, chicken with fresh mushrooms and zucchini w a box of rice, eggs and pre-cooked Jimmy Dean turkey sausage crumbles. Stuff like that. I packed too much food, I still put too much on my plate, and think I can eat more than I really can. My only advise to you is to stay with what you know you like and can tolerate. Just because we are camping, nothing really changes for us. Take baggies for the leftovers. Plenty of ice to keep everything cold and fresh. Hydrate and remember your vitamins. Take games and your camera. Enjoy the sounds of children. It's not about the food.. we are living life now.

It gets SO much better. Little by little you will be able to drink those fluids and get those pills down. take it very slowly and DO not challange the pouch. just sip, see if you do better with hot versus cold drinks. My dr. told me this in the hospital and I found out for myself that my stomach does better with hot tea than cold tea. sometimes i crave ice tea and i have it but notice i have to drink much smaller sips of the cold versus the hot. follow your dr's intake guide. smooth food, no lumps or bumps it will really help. I remember puree cottage cheese was my friend as was greek yogurt as it has more Protein versus the regular protein. I also remember that i could only eat about 1/2 of a small single serving yogurt and felt sooooo full. but it gets better. just get those fluids in. congratulations on your very brave decision.

you can still use myfitnesspal as a log - just ignore it's calorie goals and simply use it as a log - you'll still be able to see how many calories, grams of Protein, carbs, fat and mg of sodium you are taking in. Without logging in something (even if it is manually in a notebook or on an excel spreadsheet) you won't know how much protein etc you are getting - very hard to keep track in your head. You mentioned "barely snacking"...how much is barely? and what are the Snacks? Again this is where tracking would help - that barely snacking could be more than you think. If you are getting your protein and still need to get your calories up a little - add non starchy veggies - think green - broccoli, green Beans, spinach etc Other options for protein: nonfat, no sugar added greek yogurt - oikos triple zero and dannon light and fit greek tend to be popular options. low fat cottage cheese or part skim ricotta cheese tuna or salmon pouches - high protein, low carb and come in some great flavors as well as plain

@@brittanylau You could add some veggies and fruits or healthy fats (avocado). My plan recommends protein/produce. Add a high Protein snack but avoid processed meats (too much sodium). Stick with grilled chicken, fish, greek yogurt (watch the sugar content), cheese, tuna, etc for protein. My NUT told me I should be eating 5-6 times a day - with about 3 hours in between - focusing on protein and then produce (veggies, fruit, sweet potato). Of course, I'm still pre-surgery so don't know how I will do either. Stay off the scale, take your measurements and keep on plan - you'll be fine!

when we were talking about it we were looking at a container of Greek yogurt. I'm guessing she meant added sugar. Sent from my SCH-I545 using the BariatricPal App