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I didn't have a puree stage (I went from full liquids to soft foods). Can you just stick to simple foods like: Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, refried beans, chili, etc.? What do you mean by being a picky eater? Can't you just eat foods you like that fit in your guidelines? You don't really have to make it very complicated or am I missing something?

OMG, I too suffered years with diverticulitis before my sleeve surgery in 2014. I have to say searching this site was not as helpful as one would think, lots of information on constipation but not much on our condition. I will give my story. I was hospitalized three times since my first attack in 2002 and dealing with too many bouts counts of the lovely drug cocktail required when that pain hits. One of the first things my research of gastric procedures told me was constipation would be an issue and was one of the first questions I asked my surgeon. He was adamant that this would not be an issue and weightloss, eating less and healthier would help. I also was concerned about Water and fiber intake, if I didn't drink a gallon of water daily, I would feel it in my gut immediately. I was self pay and after my first appointment the surgery was scheduled quite quickly, no nutritionist appointment was needed just the blood work, EKG and approvals from my lungs specialist and GP. Surgery went well, I was home in two days and on my way to the new me, water was rough at first but didn't seem a problem since the first few weeks were mostly liquid/pureed protein and yogurt. By the time I returned to work two and a half weeks out, I was drinking my 64 oz of water and eating soft foods/thick soups and back to walking 3 miles a day (exercise before surgery also helped keep things moving) The next evening I started having abdominal pain, it was not like the pain I was use to from my diver attacks, by 10:30pm I was concerned about a leak or stricture so I called my surgeon who personal called me back and advised me to go directly to the ER. Luckily the hospital near my home is where my surgery was preformed so they often see gastric patients. By this time I was on several pain and they could not give me anything on the off chance surgery would be needed. After several tests, scans and xrayso, I was admitted with a severe diverticulitis attack, I was hospitalized for a full week. This was not fun since the I was not originally admitted to the gastric floor and theyear attempted to feed me a full high fiber diet, yeah sure, I was in tears and begging for just yogurt of course the brought me sugar filled Yoplait which I could not stomach at all. I was moved to the gastric floor and my husband was allowed to bring me plain Greek yogurt, something I have always eaten and between that and the scrambled eggs and soup, I made it through and was sent home with instructions to include a daily stool softener. At my six week check-in I asked my surgeon what could be done and whether surgery for the diverticulitis was an option (my gastro had advised when he saw me in hospital this might an option) he advised it was and agreed to preform a left hemi-colectimy. I had the additional surgery in January 2015, this required a 5day stay on the bariatric floor, I was already down 65lbs so recovery seemed a little faster, I was back to eating solids, drinking 64+oz of water, walking and of course pooping by the time I was released. This surgery required six weeks off from work, which I took even though I felt like I could return after three (I do computer work). Today I am over 1 1/2 year out and I have reached my goal weight and seem to be on my way to losing more. I have lost over 100#. I can eat almost anything except corn and popcorn as my new belly and intestinal tract don't like them. I follow my sleeve protocol, no fluids 30 minutes before or after meals, only 3 meals a day, 60-80 grams of protein daily, protein first followed by veggies and whole grains. I have a high fiber breakfast daily, 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup fiber buds and 1 tsp fiber supplement. If have always been regular so if I go one day without movement I will add a stool softener or occasionally senna. I walk every day after lunch and dinner for at least 45 minutes, and my water intake is back up to almost a gallon a day. I know my story is not typical, but it sounds like yours story is starting out on a similar note. If I had to do it over again I definitely would, I am much healthier now. I went from a size 22 to a 6, no more sleep apena, no more pre-diabetes, no more blood pressure meds. Both these surgery procedures require a lifetime of change and it has not been easy, but the end results are worth it. Please feel free to ask me any questions and good luck with you journey. Sent from my SM-G930T using the BariatricPal App

If it makes you feel better Lite Greek yogurt was allowed by my surgical team during the full liquid stage which was less than a week post op. I am alive and well. It might be worth giving them a call because they might say it is ok. Either way reach out to your NUT there are tasty protein shakes out there. GNC total lean and Isopure (also at GNC) got me through. Syntrax nectar from Amazon is good too.

YES!!!! Can't wait to get done with this phase. None of the shakes are appealing anymore. I can have Greek yogurt, but like the shakes, it gets old real fast. I saw a quote somewhere I recite in my head before each shake. It says, "The things you do now that feel like great sacrifices, will one day be the greatest investment in yourself you've made." Helps me get through one shake at a time.... good luck! Sent from my KFASWI using the BariatricPal App

I am on day 6 post op and am soooo sick of protein drinks. That is all I can have right now and they are nasty!. My appointment where they advance my diet is not until 11 days post op. I'm gonna go crazy!!! And I'm feeling guilty because I ate a couple bites of plain, nonfat Greek yogurt. Such a sad way to cheat but I was desperate and figured it was a fairly safe option and might help me meet my protein goal. Anyone else having a similar problem?

I would like ideas too, especially for non seafood foods. I am on soft foods now, just started Thursday. So far my main go to foods are refried Beans and cottage cheese. Scrambled egg for Breakfast. Our NUT gave us a list of items but i don't care for too many of the items. They include canned tuna,salmon and chicken, baked tofu, ricotta cheese, eggs or egg whites, greek yogurt, oatmeal, mashed bananas etc. I just can't stand the canned chicken. I've tried it with lite mayo but it doesn't help much when you are used to full fat mayo! I just looked at my NUTs menu suggestions and one thing that sounds good is a boiled egg, throw out the yolk and fill with hummus instead. Another is super thin deli turkey rolled hummus and 1/8 avocado. We are supposed to get 80g Protein per day so things without protein seem like a waste to eat oatmeal or applettuce etc.

How's everyone doing with hunger? Day by day I get more and more hungry and thirsty! I have absolutely no problems getting fluids or Protein down so at this point it's really mind over matter - I am having to make sure I go slowly and don't over consume but I feel like I could eat a lot! Still hungry here. Everything has gone down fine including cream Soup, yogurt, pudding, and Protein shakes. Today I got out of the house with my family and had a bit of nonfat, no sugar added frozen yogurt. It was good. It's not sweets I'm wanting though, ready for something savory. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thanks everyone! She doesn't read about the surgery, doesn't watch any videos and isn't on this forum. I honestly dont think she could have gotten this far without me. But you are right. I'm focusing on myself. It's my journey and I plan on being successful!! I mentioned that frozen yogurt even though sugar free wasn't a good choice and she didn't know why. I can't keep trying to educate her. I'll just educate by being an example of how to do this right. My time as a caterpillar has expired. My wings are ready!

My sugeoua off said Clear liquids for 5 days post op then move to solid liquids (creamed Soup no chunks, hummus, very runny cream of wheat, milk, low fat cottage cheese, low fat yogurt, Protein shakes) do that for 14 days, then move to pureed food for 14 days. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using the BariatricPal App

If you're hitting your doctor's targets for Protein and calories, then continue to eat the snacks/shakes as long as it is working for you. It's not an issue how often you eat as long as you're getting what you need - 3 meals or 6 little ones - it's all good. I loved Kroger's carbmaster line of yogurts both as a meal and snack. I think they are 60 calories, 9 grams of protein and 4 carbs and they had lots of flavors. I have Mootopia milk but it's only available from HEB grocery stores in Texas I think, but Fairlife milk is pretty much the same thing. They reduce the sugar/lactose/carbs and increase the protein and it tastes great. This is great when you need a quick snack. As far as things to eat in the soft food stage, I loved refried Beans with a bit of greek yogurt (plain tastes like sour cream but has more protein) or a little shredded cheese. Cottage cheese, soft baked fish (I baked it with lemon/butter and some spices), tuna fish with a bit of mayo also were my go-to meals.

I'm worried about her because she's not getting in her 60g of Protein and 64 oz of Water. And she told me she had some sugar free frozen yogurt the other night. I'm following our surgeon/nut instructions to a T. I try to keep on top of her. What are the downfalls of this? How can I get her to understand? She has 2 other friends who had gastric sleeve and they've lost over 100lbs. I don't know them or how their journey was. We had surgery in May 2nd. Obviously she's losing weight but I'm worried about the long run.

It is a little early, but I think you will be ok. I would make sure to take a lot of stuff with me just in case. When I went to Mexico in February (8 months post-op), I took Protein powder (1 scoop in a baggie), Protein Bars, nuts, Jerky, etc. Things I knew I could eat if I couldn't find something just right. (Not sure you will be able to have nuts and jerky at 2 months post-op but just an example). I ate a lot of chicken (with sauces scraped off), soft cheeses, eggs, etc. I think some places also have yogurt though that is not something I tried. You will also be able to walk a lot more which will help. I don't know that you will want to drink alcohol that early but everyone has a different opinion. Definitely talk to your NUT before you go to get some more ideas about what you can eat.

My sister makes her own kefir, kinda like Irish soda bread -- you just need the starter and then can keep adding to it to make a new batch. Kefir is much more yogurt than milk tasting, to me, so that bodes well for you if you aren't into the milk thing.

I am 15 months post WLS and have not had any issues with diverticulitis. I used to have flare ups periodically and needed to be on those two nasty antibiotics when experiencing those painful symptoms. I eat nuts, seeds, berries, apples, popcorn, all without any repercussions. I do make sure I eat Greek yogurt every day and I take one Florastor (very expensive) probiotic daily. I do not use fiber supplements and don't need them. Based on my experience I think the WLS improved the climate in my bowels. I have also heard great things about keffir.

@@Sailor Doom - sounds like you're right on track! :-) I started with a lot of Protein drinks, Soups, Greek yogurt, string cheese, scrambled eggs, hummus, and frozen Pasta Entrees (although I have not heard a lot of people say the latter, it worked for me). I actually still do a lot of all of them - they are easy to make, easy to track nutritionally and packed with protein. Since then I have added a lot of Cereal, chicken, and nut butter or turkey sandwiches. But I really do not restrict types of foods since I tolerate just about anything - I am more concerned with its nutritional content than what it is. I had my procedure on Wednesday and I had to go out to eat that Sunday! I stuck with Soup and I was fine. I actually did that the first several times I went out. Now I eat out a few times a week and, again, am less concerned about specifically what I eat than how many calories it has and how much protein. I try to stick to restaurants that post nutritional information so that I can determine my meals in advance, but if that's not an option I gravitate to things that I know are pretty safe nutritionally, and/or I order off of the children's or appetizer menus (ex: filet mignon without sauce/sides, children's portion of spaghetti or shrimp cocktail ... I've had a lot of shrimp cocktail :-)). Glad to hear things are progressing. Hang in there - it will only get better!!

I am 16 weeks as of this past Tuesday and have lost 51 pounds since surgery. So if you lost 52 pounds since surgery you are doing fantastic as you had surgery after I did. About the taste and food and eating, I feel as you do. There is no taste to any food and thus the joy I use to have to eat is completely gone. I am eating only to nourish my body. There are some days when I don't even feeling like eating dinner so I have a shake or yogurt. I feel another big reason for the lack of joy when eating is because I know I will have pain and discomfort from eating (which I guess is my signal I ate enough) In the past I never felt that painfulness of being full and thus developed a real joy in eating, I too hope in time the taste buds will come back, the painfulness will decrease and I will enjoy eating again yet know when to stop.

I began having smoothies about two weeks post op using either a plain yogurt (Greek, Icelandic, or Bulgarian) that is high in Protein and low in carbs or plain kefir as the base. I most often use frozen fruit rather than fresh for the convenience, and my favorites are raspberries (high in fiber), nectarines, and the mixed berries from Trader Joe's. If I'm adding spinach or kale I also use it frozen. Del Monte has a fresh peach cup that is no sugar added, and only has 12 carbs. If I'm going to a regular grocery store vs. Trader Joe's or Ralph's I'll stock up on them for smoothies. Trader Joe's also has frozen sweet potato cubes that are delicious in smoothies, and lower in carbs than some fruit. I make those with Fairlife milk. A bariatric surgeon named Dr. Matthew Wiener has a video on YouTube about the "set point smoothies" he advocates.

So my surgery was on May 9th and I must be lucky because I have had no pain or nausea at all. When leaving the hospital I was on yogurt, pudding, and Popsicles. By last Saturday I started to have mashed potatoes...no issues, felt fine. All week long I've basically been living on mashed potatoes, yogurt, and protien shakes. Today I caved and ate solid patatoes and some chicken and a cheese stick. Of course I chewed it all super thoroughly and had no issues at all. And only had a couple bites and didn't push it. Now I'm sitting here at night feeling like a failure. I know the cheese isn't a big deal since most people can have that on purée, but the chicken and solid potato really upset me. I shouldn't of done it, but I felt so hungry. I have no idea how to feel at this point. I don't want to ruin my sleeve. I don't want to stretch it. Ugh

I was searching for this topic and came across this thread. After my surgery, I'm now lactose intolerant. I'm four months out and I can tolerate a tiny bit of cheese or yogurt, but too much of either or any amount of milk and I get stomach pain and diarrhea. I hope this is a temporary effect and goes away eventually!

My husband got diverticulosis in 2012 and is diabetic, so all the vomiting (crazy! Like 24 hours nonstop where he couldn't catch a breath to puke again!) REALLY made an impact on us (could have stroked out with sugars all over the place). He needs to be on a low(er) carb diet due to diabetes and avoid sugars and carbs, but like you has to balance it all out. This is just HIS situation, FWIW, I went to the dietician with him (after he vomited a week almost a week nonstop and lost 30 lbs in a week! Seriously, he looked like the Auschwitz pics when he got home -- face totally sunken and shriveled.) Anyway, I digress, his dietician recommended kefir every day for the high probiotic count, Greek yogurt for yet more Probiotics, and she said they don't know WHAT causes diverticulitis/diverticulosis, that there was a study done on cadavers and, basically, everyone has the diverticula inherent in their body, but they don't know exactly what triggers some people to flare up and others to have no issues. My husband LOVES nuts and apples (fruit with skins,) and many other so-called no-nos. His dietician said she's a big believer in if it hurts/causes vomiting/cramping/diarrhea/etc., stop. She doesn't discount anecdotal evidence of people saying things like popcorn or nuts do them in, but she said give them a try slowly, one at a time, and see what causes problems. Well, like most guys, he didn't adjust his diet at all in terms of removing items, but he faithfully starts EVERY DAY with kefir and 2-4x a week has a really high quality Greek yogurt. It's been almost 4 years and he's had zero issues. So, again, I'm no dietician, but those were the guidelines given to him by his NUT who specializes in diabetes. Also, again, anecdotally, my brother-in-law is from Poland, where they eat tons of cabbage and pickled vegetables. Ever since coming to the States, my BIL has had TERRIBLE GI issues. My sister makes her own kefir and has started cooking the Old World way with all the cabbage/pickled food he is used to, and voila, his GI issues are GONE. Kimchee (sp?) is a pickled Korean cabbage, I believe, and it's getting tons of great buzz for GI digestion stuff, too. I cringe, but my old boyfriend loved the stuff. Again, maybe adding some of these probiotics will aid you? I forget who is on here is a vegetarian, maybe JamieLogical? But anyway, there's a couple vets who are vegetarians, and they are making the legumes work for them in terms of Protein. Maybe pick their brain, or start a vegetarian thread? Good luck! Hope your NUT gets back to you quicker.

Mostly I'm eating scrambled egg, tuna or laughing cow cheese. I have had some chilli that was pureed which wasn't bad. I also had summer porridge ( quick oats with greek yogurt and a little milk out in the fridge overnight. As for portions well I can barely get down 1/2 a scrambled egg Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk

@@jane13 I'm just on full liquids right now,,,,for 2 weeks.....I'm still having difficulty drinking without feeling nauseous....but each day is a little better. sleep will come I'm sure. I think I need to be able to get more calories (or some calories) in so I have enough energy to stay awake during the day....once I can do that I'll be able to sleep at night. Right now the only thing I've eaten that had any calories is a half of a yogurt, about 3 tablespoons of cream of chicken Soup....and about half of a sugar free 15 calorie Popsicle.

I shop there often, love Costco. I buy bulk powdered protein, fresh fruit for me and the faimly, chicken salad in the individual size servings, bulk Greek yogurt and always buy their bulk chicken breast and steaks that are easily portioned out for meals as needed. Ive also enjoyed buy the Costco Kirkland brand clothing as I dropped from a size XXXL to L.

Hi All, Couldn't find another thread so will just ask... I'm exactly 1 week post op and since yesterday (day 6) I've started trying a few 'solid foods' in the UK we're told after a sleeve to have liquids for 3 weeks, then puree for 3 then move to more solid food. But I've always been a quick healer, and for some reason I just knew in my head I felt ok to try something, I've had a thin slice of cheese, a strawberry, a mousse dessert (yogurt) and a small piece of soft potato. All of these I chewed until they basically didn't exist in my mouth before swallowing, but I've experienced no nausea, sickness or cramping. I understand I couldn't eat a proper meal as I could over stretch whilst still healing, and I am literally nibbling tiny mouthfuls and chewing until I can't even notice the food in my mouth anymore but is this normal? It's becoming really hard to stomach just Soup and milk etc when I feel ready to eat more solid food. I completely understand the risk of rushing the process and I will allow myself time to heal fully but would like to know id this has happened to anyone else?

FYI. The Protein shake was Breakfast and lunch combo. The Jello was a snack. The veggie salad was supper and the cottage cheese was another snack. That was a full day of food and I stuck within my limits. My Protein Shake kept me full for several hours and I added fruit and yogurt and stuff to it plus the milk that's why it was so high lol Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App