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It sounds like your routine is very strict! I only had to stay on Clear Liquids for 3 days. Then, I could have Protein shakes, Jello, and yogurt. Even with the Protein Shakes, etc, I was feeling very hungry. You must be starving! I feel full much quicker because through all this pre-op and post-op liquids, my stomache shrank somewhat and I feel full quicker. Hang in there...

My pcp suggested that I have the gastric sleeve and directed me to Dr. Stephen Malley in Kansas City. I watched his seminar online and then made my appointment and met with him on October 23rd. Time has been speeding by at a very fast pace since then. My surgery is scheduled for November 11th which is 8 days away. I had a heart attack (1 stent) in 2011 so Dr. Malley requires that I get a clearance from my cardiologist. I met with him on Friday and it did not go well. He wants me to take a stress test before surgery. I don't think it's covered by my insurance so that is why I am dragging my feet. I also feel "what will be, will be". I am a cash patient and all the prelim stuff I have had to do to get qualified is not included in the fee. I am less scared than I was yesterday, thanks to a late night chat on this site. My first question is about the chat rooms. Why are there 9 showing up in the chat rooms but nobody is available to chat? Next, is there a lot of pain associated with this? I do not like to take pain medication and if the pain isn't higher than a 7 (from 1-10) then I think I can deal with it. Then, I am extra emotional right now. I thought I read that that happened AFTER the surgery. I stop myself when I realize I'm feeling sorry for myself but feel weepy (sp?) and sometimes very much overwhelmed. I do not cook. I can cook but don't enjoy it. Just reading over the information, there doesn't seem like there is going to be anything that I can eat, once I get to that post surgery stage. I see that I can have yogurt and cottage cheese and I HATE both of those. Okay, I'm taking some deep breaths & changing the subject before I get myself worked up again. I DO plan to join a support group so I know that will be the extra help that I need to see me through. I am so appreciative of this group as well!!! Two of my sisters are not supportive and I don't know how the other 2 sisters feel. My DH is supportive and is paying for the sleeve but continues to eat in front of me. So hard. At the end, I am excited, I am happy to be this close to surgery and looking forward to getting healthier. I have also scheduled a date with my treadmill for today! (We're virtual strangers - lol). I hope I haven't written too much but my brain is overflowing. Thanks in advance for all your help!!!

I had my surgery on Sept. 11 and I'm not a pro at this but I can help with a few of your concerns! I cook less now than before surgery! As for not liking yogurt or cottage cheese, I didn't have a problem with yogurt but I hated cottage cheese before my surgery. However, after surgery I tried it and was soooo glad to have something to 'almost' chew that I started to really enjoy it! Canned chicken & tuna are great when you advance to that stage. Seafood has lots of protein, I like pre-cooked shrimp or crab with mashed potatoes...all microwavable! I still drink protein shakes too, there are lots of brands but l like Unjury (chocolate & chicken flavored). Eating really is easier that ya think! The pain after surgery I would say varies from person to person, I drank pain medicine for about a week after my surgery, a little less everyday but I still wanted/needed it, I hate pain!! My husband and this website are my support system, I didn't tell my sister or any other family members because I made my mind up to have this surgery and did not feel like discussing it with anyone. When he eats in front of me, it really doesn't both me much...I really want to loose this weight so I have my meals & he has his!!! Hope some of this helps! Good luck!

Hey there! I'm with you on the "I don't eat too much, I eat the wrong kinds of foods." I was a total junk food junkie, and it cost me a lot of time--time I didn't do what I really wanted to do, see the people I wanted to see, go to the places I wanted to go, etc. etc. because I was embarrassed to be so fat. I want to share with you that for me and for my husband (also a sleever), the sleeve has been a turning point in our eating habits, AND WE DO NOT FEEL DEPRIVED!! My husband was sleeved in 2010; he said then that he wanted something that would serve as a "hand slapper" to tell him it was time to stop eating, since he WAS a volume eater--of the wrong types of foods, double whammy. He was shocked to discover that post-sleeve, his body would pretty much dictate that he avoid junky foods, and he began to PREFER healthier foods like salad and yogurt! My 2-portions-of-spaghetti-with-meatsauce-and-garlic-bread-eating husband PREFERS salads!!! In my case, I had the diet of a teenage boy--I ate junk food almost all the time, washed down with soda. It was ridiculous. I never had a problem with emotional eating or eating too much volume-wise, just made consistently bad food choices. I was hooked on sugar. The sleeve solved that for me by limiting what I could eat until my body got those toxins cleaned out. I always loved vegetables and healthy food; I just never chose it before because I was "super hungry" or whatever--I don't know the reason. Post-sleeve, I find I am eating extremely healthy food in "normal" quantities, never feel deprived or like "oh, I really wish I could have _____," because I'm satisfied from a food point of view. You will probably miss food at the beginning--you'll miss the sense of comfort and routine that a particular food is associated with. But TRUST me, once that weight starts dropping off, and it will soon after surgery, your body changes, your body chemistry changes, and your brain begins to adapt to "the new you." It's WONDERFUL. Getting off all meds caused by poor diet--WONDERFUL. Knowing you're going to live longer because you are healthier--WONDERFUL. Feel free to PM--lots of helpful folks on this board, lots of support. It's entirely up to you, and I wish you the best no matter what you decide to do.

I use unjury. I have mixed it in Soup, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc and it doesn't clump. I assume all Protein powder is this way, but, if you mix it in something hot, don't let it get too hot or it will change the consistency of the food you are mixing it in. Also, I use my Unjury in cold drinks. I use my shaker to mix it up real well to prevent clumping.

I was sleeved on 10/8 and I feel the same way. Im on full liquids and can drink alot of clears and same with thinned yogurt i dont stay as full for long. I think it helps to drink crystal light in between "meals" to stay hydrated. I guess we are lucky that we seem to heal quickly! I was being paranoid too after reading so many posts where folks were having trouble drinking 3 oz Water. I was told its hard to stretch your sleeve and it prob wont stretch from liquids. Hope everything else is good for you!!!

This is my first post. I'm due to have my surgery next Tuesday, but my milk and yogurt diet has made me so constipated, I've been drinking loads of Water so don't understand why I'm so constipated. What are the best laxatives to use at this stage ? Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I think the surgeon and/or dietician on the bariatric team is a good place to start. Tell them you are struggling and see what they advise you. I had to do a 6 month diet for insurance and the dietician flat out said she didn't care if I lost weight, I just shouldn't gain any. I managed to lose a whole 10 lbs. I was also put on a pre-op liquid diet to shrink my liver prior to surgery and prepare me for the post-op liquid phase. Up until four days before surgery I could have a small amount of lean protein (I cooked unbreaded chicken tenders with salt and pepper, or I had 2 hardboiled eggs). I ended up on it for 3 weeks because I caught a cold and they bumped my surgery a week, not enough to stop and start again, so I just did another week. I could have broth, protein drinks, sugar free jello, yogurt, cream soups, water, skim milk and the like. I do boring really well, so I did well on the liquid diet (except for a handful of peanuts I ate while walking in the park-I had peanuts for the squirrels and I was really hungry). I lost another 25 lbs on that. The rest has come off since surgery. It is hard to get your head around eating differently but as someone said "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels."

I decided to start using up my unflavored Protein powder. I mixed a banana yoplait yogurt, soy slender and a scoop of unflavored Protein Powder together in my magic bullet. I have never had a Protein shake fill me up as much as this one did. I can't even drink my Water cause I am so full and I drank that hours ago. I thought the yogurt by itself would need some liquid. Next time I will use less soy slender.

I didn't eat after surgery. I was sleeved 12/7. My program calls for a week of clear liquids, then two weeks of full liquids until I even get to try soft and purée foods. I don't even get yogurt until the 28th. A liquid diet after surgery seems fairly par for the course, but every program differs. My program calls for 64 ounces of fluids per day, which includes three protein shakes while in the liquid stage, and two protein shakes per day in the soft/purée stage. Total protein at least 60 grams. I think as long as you try to get your protein in, and make sure you're getting enough water, you should be fine. I haven't really consumed anything but protein, water, Powerade zero, and jello for a week, and I was just able to add tomato and strained cream soups two days ago.

Hey @@JonteRaynal ! I was sleeved on 9/6 - so far I have tried scrambled eggs (with a little cheese), black Beans, refried beans, Teriyaki chicken meatballs (very soft, but I still ground it up), soft cooked sweet potato, homemade chicken brunswick stew and ricotta bake, and of course low sugar yogurts. My sleeve has tolerated everything very well so far. If you google "world according to eggface puree" there are lots of good tips there.

I am on "liquids"" for my pre-op diet. I can have yogurt and cottage cheese, even though I don't consider them liquids. What else is considered a liquid? Can I have broth with veggies in it? One person I know that was banded by the same dr. that is doing mine ate cottage cheese and tomatoes. I am confused.....:help:

Hi everyone, So today I am 7 months post of RNY. I have lost 57 pounds since my pre-op diet. I am so far past the excitement and hope I had when the weight was coming off during the first 2 months. Since then though, I have lost a total of only 10 pounds in 5 months (!)- I don't even really know what to say about that- I voiced my concerns to my surgeon's office at 2, 3, 4, 5 months but they keep telling me to just follow the plan and it will fall off- they won't give me a calorie count of where I should be- just 60g of protein in 2 shakes and then 3 meals of 4oz each. Obviously protein first, then veggies- but they want me eating fruit and whole grain carbs too. Obviously 64oz of fluids and 30min of cardio plus strength training 4x per week. I've been doing the eating part really well until about a month ago and then I got to the point where I realized this is just like I was before- there's nothing special about what I'm doing. I feel little to no restriction when I eat, NOTHING (and I've tried) has made me dump. I haven't vomited or had any GI problems since the surgery. So I came to the point that I realized I'm back to just being on a diet- like I've been on since I was 9. So of course my old habits and thinking came right back- I give myself excuses for grabbing a few Hershey's kisses at work from someone's desk or having just 1 cookie at a party. It's just made me more frustrated and feeling like a failure. I feel great when I exercise. I hired a trainer to see twice a week for resistance training which I think has helped. I've lost a couple of inches here and there since starting 5 weeks ago and I feel good physically. I'm just stuck. I mentioned this in another thread- that I'd been in a 4 month stall- and someone - who is brilliant by the way- corrected me and said that was called a plateau- ha! Made me laugh but it also made me feel like I wasn't imagining this all and there is something not right here. My meals are usually either ff cottage cheese or plain vanilla Greek yogurt (4oz of either) for breakfast, a premiere protein shake for a snack, salad with 2-4oz of chicken breast with veggies/beans on it for lunch, another premiere protein shake for an afternoon snack and then dinner which varies but is some lean meat (hamburger- no bun, steak, chicken, shrimp or fish) any of them of about 2-3 oz, with a veggie usually. I wait to drink until 30 minutes after eating and I take all my vitamins like clockwork each day- What am I doing wrong? And how can I get back to that place of hope where I am expecting to lose more weight. I started out at 240 and now I'm 183. Don't get me wrong- I'm not angry about having "had surgery and failing" or something- I'm thrilled about where I am but I don't think I went through all that plus complications afterwards for 57 pounds when others around me have lost almost and over a hundred at this point. Is my metabolism that screwed up from years of dieting? Or is my food addiction just not letting me see the forest through the trees? I feel like I've lost hope again- which is what this surgery had finally given me after so many years. Anyone's input would be sooo appreciated- thanks everyone for making this such a comforting place- just reading everyone's posts over the past few months has given me so much info-

First banned in 8/2008 @ 385 lbs went well, lost 100 lbs,,,,after 4 yrs blow it out with major slip from stress etc,,,,,removed waited and replaced in 2014,,,,,regained of course. Started over and was so scared of another slip I didn't have regular fills. Managed to get down to 350 with only one fill post op. Finally went back and had fill under fluoroscope last month 7/2020 and looked good, filled from 5 to 5.1. Felt no difference so just added 1 cc more Aug 2020 and man I am restricted. I don't remember filling this way after a fill. I drank the water in the office and seems ok but really should have just got .5 cc but wanted some restriction, I feel full all the time and water goes down slow, if I eat soft things it does go down but feels like it's still in the band. It's been 4 days and just now on soft food, yogurt, soups etc... Should I go back or just wait a little longer,,,I just can't remember if it takes a while after a fill to not be belching and slimming all day long. Believe I have the 14 band and think I maxed out at 7 cc yrs ago.

I really liked Unjury protein. (google it) It doesn't have the additives the others have. You can add it to stuff you can tolerate. Like chicken broth, fruit juice, yogurt smoothies. They have an unflavored version. I think that would be your best bet. You need to have good communication with your Dr and his support staff. Let your Dr know about the problems. Maybe he has suggestions. Hang in there. Amanda : )

Yesss....that is totally how I feel with soup, yogurt, etc.. The only reason I stop eating is because it still hurts once the food is going down or I get really bad acid reflux (or what feels like reflux). Sometimes I keep regretting this decision.

Thanks to every one of you who read my story and replied. It really makes me feel great and supported. I'm now almost 3 weeks post op and down to 240. I'm happy to be losing weight but what they say in the Kaiser classes is so true. It is just a tool I could easily slip into the "slider food"...yogurt, cottage cheese, anything mushy and I really have to watch myself. I guess weight is just my life long struggle because, really, I seem to tolerate any kind of food post op and have to watch the carbs. Thanks people and good luck to all who are getting the sleeve. Smillzee

I had issues with lose bowels, I am finding out it was due to eating yogurt and cottage cheese. The combination of those two were awful for me, I went thru about 3 months of being afraid to eat breakfast during work because I did not want to be running to the bathroom all morning. I did process of elimination, now everything is fine.

Call your nutritionist and discuss alternatives. Greek yogurt is a high source of Protein, smashed Beans or refried beans may also be acceptable if you thin them out with a bit of broth. Just call the nutritionist and brain storm. That's what you paid them for.

I also eat the special K protein cereal when I'm feeling like I need a change from my usual Greek Yogurt. It fills me up pretty good usually, more so than my yogurt does but I did notice if it's soggier I can eat more.

Starting my new year with exercise goals (to accomplish a rim-to-rim, one day Grand Canyon hike later in year), and expanding my menu of whole food plant based (WFPB) eating. I found a new breakfast that I LOVE - at least until I get tired of it, but it's my go-to breakfast for now: Breakfast - GF whole grain tortilla wrap with sauteed mushrooms/onion/tofu, mashed beans, a smear of homemade pesto, cheese sauce made from potato and nutritional yeast, covered with salsa. And an orange from our tree. Yumminess! (Alternate breakfast if I am going on a long bike ride or long strenuous hike: cooked cereal (oats, quinoa, amaranth, teff, buckwheat combo), pea milk, banana and raisins.) Lunch will be stir fry (no oil) veggies with edamame and tempeh, sesame and pumpkin seeds, roasted cashews. With cooked buckwheat (chewy like rice, but more nutrition). Mango/pear fruit cup. Dinner will be a big bowl of nachos (baked corn tortillas, lentils, black beans, cheese sauce made from potatoes, pea milk and nutritional yeast, pico de gallo. Also a small bowl of bean chili with "cheese sauce." Snack is oat milk yogurt with blueberries, prickly pear juice, homemade granola, slivered almonds, seeds (sunflower, barrel cactus, sesame, pumpkin), 1/2 scoop pea protein powder. Grab bag always made up of raw, cut up carrots, celery, peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, butternut squash. Beverages include water, herbal teas, decaf green tea. Diluted Body Armour drink on long rides/hikes. Exercise goals this month include 6 days a weeks of 30 flights of stairs a day, at least 10,000 steps, wall pushups, weights, leg routine, stretches, and a cardio workout of biking (15-30 mi), hill hiking (5 mi) , or swimming (1/4 mi). I am maintaining weight in low 140's, and focus now on healthy eating and exercise. I haven't counted calories in a while. I keep an eye on protein intake and that is it. I have so much energy, no joint pain or stiffness, and never even get sore after a hard workout. So something is working right.

For me, 3 months post-op, the gurgling snd burping are still pretty chronic. No reflex, just air. Yesterday, I explained this to my dr. and he said to eat slower...ok, that I do know is a problem (getting air in stomach between bites) but I wake up at 4 am burping and stomach roaring! By 5-ish I get up to take my Ppi and start my shake or a Greek yogurt-so it's not always from eating too fast. I had this problem Pre-op too, but now it's worse! Good luck - hey if this is the worst of my "side affects", I'll take it! Down a total if 71 pounds since Aug. 11th (48.5 post op- Oct.11)-hoping to make it to 'onederland' by Feb 1st! I haven't weighed under 205 in 20 years!

Sorry this is long, but I'm concerned.I had my very first consult with surgeon 2 days ago. We are approximately 4 months from surgery. I have been placed on a 3 month pre surgery diet. Of course when we get down to the last 2 weeks I will go the liquid route. My concern today, is this: I am T2 diabetic. I am drinking a Protein shake for Breakfast and then following meal guidelines the rest of the day. I began my day with a fasting blood sugar of 250. Took my insulin and other meds as prescribed. Drank my shake. 2 hours later I checked bs, it was down to 230, no insulin taken at this time. At lunch, 1.5 hours later.....it was 187. Took my sliding scale with lunch. 2.5 hours later checked bs, it was 56!!! I ate some fruit and a yogurt. checked it 2 hours later it was 67. ate dinner. Went to bed 4 hours later. When I got up this morning 175. I drank my shake and took my morning meds, took bs 2 hours later, 285!!! WTH? I am all over the map!! Has anyone else experience this? Should I hang in there, call surgeons office or call my endo?

Yup, that's right around the point where I started to feel hungry all the time. It's so hard to know if its head hunger or real hunger. Not to worry, your diet should be increased about now if its like most peoples. Once you get some yogurt it will stay in your stomach longer. In the meantime, acid in your stomach for some reason will feel like hunger. Is that an issue? Are you hungry when you see food online or tv? that's head hunger, or it could be that you're used to eating at a certain time of day so that's head hunger too. I just know I thought I was starving at 5 days. Things get better soon. Just try to stay on the liquids.

My tastes have not changed but they have came more extreme. Things that I was lukewarm on pre-op like scrambled eggs, I hate post-op. Never liked yogurt, despise yogurt now. Loved fish before, really love fish now.