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I'm on day five of my pre-op. Every day has consisted of three protein shake and up to six of the following: 1/2 cup cottage cheese (with Franks red hot sauce), 1/2 cup smooth fat free yogurt, no sugar added applesauce with cinnamon, a low fat cheese stick, sugar free pudding, and 1/2 c cream of wheat with splenda. Broth, coffee, tea, sugar free jello and popcicles are freebies! The shakes are the most crucial!

I am considering VSG surgery, and I want to know if I will be able to continue to drink Green Smoothies (greens and fruit in blender); I drink one every day and don't know how to live without them! Also, I want to know why the surgeons say people lose 70 - 80% of their weight. I don't want to do something this drastic unless I have a chance to lose all my weight! (53 year old female, 150 lbs overweight). And do I have to do protein shakes? I hate them...but love greek yogurt. I am willing to do some things I don't like of course. I have tried everything and am tired of being obese.

Don't be scared by this. I know I'm a little shy of 4 months being banded, so I don't have long term results to go off of, but listen to what she said she was eating with the excuse of it was the only thing that would go down. You don't have to eat ice cream, there's yogurt instead, you don't have to eat chips, you can eat something else. The lapband is a tool to help and we do have to take responsibility for whether it works or doesn't. It's not perfect, no, but neither is the bypass or RNY or DS or whatever. If people want to find a way around it, they will. I feel sorry for her that she's gone through all of this, but you'll find plenty of people on here who have been successful and who didn't vomit up everything. You have to retrain yourself on how to eat and it's hard, I'm going through that right now and I'm struggling. I still know that I shouldn't be eating red meat because it's harder to digest and dry chicken is hard to digest, but I can still eat chicken if it's not dry and I chew it well. I can get my protein through eggs or milk or something like that. Like someone else mentioned above I think, this is just a way for this doctor to try to get business.

I totally hear you! That's what I was told through my life of dieting...and in fact, Dr. Quilici, my surgeon-to-be said the same thing. But I'm not banded yet. The idea was this....I had been listening to a weight loss podcast...somewhat of a hypnotherapy thing, wherein the hypnotist said that we should only eat when we're hungry. That hunger was a good thing because it was about hearing our body saying we needed fuel. So I started trying that. And I realized that I wasn't hungry. So here i'd pack my yogurt or oatmeal to eat when I got to work...and i'd stop and think, "it's here, but am i hungry?" I wasn't...so I wouldn't eat. and i'd wait and soon it would become lunchtime...and i'd have food to eat, but i still wasn't hungry. OKAY...now you have to know, just because I wasn't hungry doesn't mean I didn't want to eat. Big difference...I totally wanted to eat...and could eat. Just was trying to figure out what was going on with the body. And that's when I made my Air Fern observation...that maybe I didn't NEED food. But that's not the case. So the nutritionist said that everyone has the mechanism of listening to the body for hunger cues, but very few will actually listen to it...and it's been desensitized. So we started talking about early man, hunters and gatherers...and how way back then you'd eat a little bit...and move on to the next site to find a little more you would get to eat...etc. That was the theory behind the mini meals. Small amounts throughout the day. :::Shrug:: who knows. But let me ask you this. I read about the Protein shakes/drinks that people have after being banded. Are those taking the place of your meal? or is it in between. If it's in between, then it's somewhat like a snack, right? Since it's calorie/vitamin dense?

Shelbymarie18: i was also just sleeved on the 11th. Im not necessarily hungry but I seem to have no problems drinking, eating a decent amount at one time, meaning yogurt or jello. I too wonder if this is all normal.

I was told to only have full liquids tho. Thats why i haven't tried pudding or yogurt. Do you think its ok to do so im only 4 days post op tomorrow. Sent from my SM-G900P using the BariatricPal App

Thank you for your encouragement! I am walking and have been since right out of surgery, I was implying more to power walking and for longer distances. But I did get out to local grocery store (like super wal-mart) and pick up some eggs and greek yogurt for when I transition into the "sliders" phase of eating. Doc also suggested low sodium broth based soup, of course run it through the blender first to puree everything. So am set for next phase, so happy have only taken one pain and nausea pill all day today

I'm not a vegetarian (currently) but spent a number of years as one. Then I got to my remote location here and couldn't find meat so I went back to a vegetarian diet for a while. As it is, I might eat meat once or twice a week. I'm no vegetarian, but I certainly eat a lot of vegetarian meals! I was never able to shake dairy until I got hit by lactose intolerance post op. Doesn't that just figure? I still love cheese but usually only have what I can make myself (simple farmer's cheeses, mozzarella, ricotta, etc.) so my intake is drastically reduced. I try to avoid Pasta, but I make syrniki as a dairy meal - basically it's a cheese pancake made from sweetened farmer's cheese and raisins. I also eat Beans with melted mozzarella on them, and I mix cheese into salads for that tiny Protein (and flavor) boost. I eat a lot of soy products but living in Central Asia means my access to those convenience foods is very limited. For the most part, if I can't make it myself I can't eat it. I make my own soy milk and drink some every day. I make the soy milk into yogurt, too, which I can then use for eating but also for sauces like tzatziki. I make lentil Soup and even lentil salads. I find myself eating tofu pretty frequently (prepared any number of ways), but I also make seitan and occasionally use TVP to make things like chili, sloppy joes or burgers. I use beans in almost everything and I make a big batch of hummus for Snacks and sandwiches. I even make uncheeses - there are a few of them I find tasty enough to eat even now that I eat cheese and meat when I want. I make curries, I make dal, I even try to make simple Soups and boost the protein in them by adding unflavored protein power (Integrated supplements brand works best, IMO). If you ask me, one of the best foods you can eat post VSG is seitan, assuming you like the taste. I make a big batch of "meatballs" from seitan and eating two of them will fill me up and give me 18 grams of protein. I was able to order a bunch of Fantastic Foods vegetarian meals for when I want to eat something in a hurry and they're tasty, even if they're not as healthy as something I could make myself. In any case, you probably have dozens more options than I do! I'm sure that if you get bored you can find some new recipes or ideas online. Hopefully someone else will chime in here with other ideas, too. When I think of it I get envious of the huge variety of prepared vegetarian meals available stateside. Everything I do here is certainly healthier because it's made from scratch but it's also very time consuming. ~Cheri

While it does have a little sugar, at this point I don't care lol! I'm able to get one down in a 30 minute period and it stays down without causing my stomach to feel like absolute crap! Those with dairy issues will absolutely have a problem with these, but I love them! I even got vanilla ones to make smoothies with. I got sleeved on the 9th of March (: http://www.stonyfield.com/products/yogurt/op/strawberry Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm 7 months out, and I still have a protein shake for breakfast every morning, except on the weekends.. but when I was in the soft stage and sick of protein shakes, I would have yogurt (dannon greek light & fit) with some protein powder added in ... or some cream of wheat- thinned w/ skim milk and a scoop of chocolate protein powder in it-- that was my favorite.

I am a creature of habit and eat a lot of the same things. For breakfast I still drink a Premier shake on my way to work. If I am still hungry I have a sf greek yogurt. For lunch I like turkey or ham rolled up with swiss cheese. I make my own coleslaw with Splenda and that and/or a pickle goes well with the deli meat roll ups. I also like egg salad, lentil Soup or refried Beans for lunch. For dinner it's a Protein and a veggie....chicken, pork, burger. I have a husband two kids so cookong for four is easier with less leftovers than cooking for one or two. How about buying small containers and freezing individual portions instead of having 7 day old food from all of the leftovers. There is really no way around food prep though. You can make a meatloaf, chicken marsala or lemon chicken, meatballs, pepper steak, chili. Maybe google some crock pot recipes so you are not tied to the kitchen.

Buy what you eat. I always buy eggs, greek yogurt, quinoa, rolled or steel cut oat, raw honey and almond milk. What not to buy is more important. Avoid processed food, and pretty much anything that come in a box. They are often full of sodium.

What about adding in some "whole grains" like brown/wild rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, etc? Or fruits and vegetables, once you've eaten enough protein. I haven't had surgery yet, so I'm eating about 1400 calories a day. I usually have a protein shake or steel cut oats with protein powder for break fast, and for lunch I might have tuna fish with light miracle whip and whole grain rice cakes with a red bell pepper or dinner leftovers. For dinner I might have meatballs in red curry, or turkey chili with beans topped with shredded cheese and fat free greek yogurt, or chicken curry, or deli turkey and cheese in a low-carb wrap sauteed in non-stick spray. If I really want dessert I'll have a ten gram square of chocolate or a half cup of light ice cream. For a snack I might have a cheese stick or a banana or pistachios. I also roast a lot of vegetables to eat with my meals and as snacks.

I'm also scheduled for surgery on the 2nd. I started my pre-op diet yesterday. On mine I can have 2 soup meals daily (healthy choice etc) sugar free-fat free pudding or yogurt (only 2x a day) and the protein shakes. I tried the Muscle Milk lite, but what an aftertaste!!! Today I used the Wonder Slim which is like the Medifast and its so much better.. so far I'm not craving meat, but it's so hot here in NY that I could go for some ice cream!!!

Had my surgery. Things went well. It's now day 3 and my stomach muscles are still sore, hurts to stretch or bend over. My stomach still feels bloated but no gas pain. Weirdly my eyesight is a bit blurry. I am meeting my clear liquid goals. Tomorrow I can start cream soups, yogurt, pudding, and cream of wheat cereal. No hunger per say, but I am looking forward to some yogurt and pudding. I hope I still like it.

I am 9 months post op RNY and use baby spoons and forks at nearly every meal. I also use dessert plates and small plastic bowls. One thing that was most helpful are Diamond Daily Mini Cups. They are 2 ounce plastic cups with a lid. They are the perfect size for those first meals. They come in a bag of 50 and they were about 3.00 at Target. I still use one every day for the flax seed that I add to my Greek Yogurt. Best of luck to all of you!! It's one crazy ride!! Carol

I can not rave about it enough - Eddy's sugar free fruit bars - If it can satisfy my sweet tooth .. it can satisfy anyone's . i messed around today and at a handful of m&m's - tasted good going down.. but the pain afterwards will make me think twice in the future.. yoplait also makes good fat free yogurt.

I know the feeling. I'm 4 weeks out and have had raging nausea, on Prilosec, on soft foods and know I'm not meeting protein but am so sick of protein shakes. can't take urso for gallstone, was sick for 2 days taking 1 pill. nausea at the start of all meals. does this get better??? I have lost weight, not weighing myself yet just trying to eat daily greek yogurt, fluids, meds, so many vitamins, and real food which now tastes good but always an aftertaste.

Thanks. I meal prepped last week with healthy meals, ate until I was full, and lost some weight. Still within my maintenance weight range so good, but need to add to what I did. I already have healthy grains like Quinoa and even some english muffins in what I did last week. I have enough of what I prepped last week to last this week as well. Turkey Taco Soup Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes on English Muffin Vegetable gratin with turkey dinner sausage Pumpkin and ground chicken chili (from the freezer) Quinoa and ground turkey stuffed bell pepper Chicken breast with pineapple, red onion and cilantro relish, and yellow squash with onions For breakfast I did coffee with a little half and half and either eggs or greek yogurt and for snacks I did popcorn and SF popsicles. This weekend I've eaten off plan so will probably be a little up tomorrow (I won't weight again until Saturday). I think maybe I'll add a little potato to some of the above to try to bump up just a bit. Open to other suggestions. I AM SO grateful for this tool, and know I am still in my honeymoon period so I'm appreciative, I just want to get this right before it gets harder to lose and easier to gain. Thanks! Lori

The Powerade might help but something with some Protein (like yogurt) might be even better.

I am on week 3 postop and I'm having a hard time picking foods to try. Greek yogurt was a no go. Any ideas on what to try?

I think protein shakes will help a lot! They will curb your appetite and give your body some fuel to help you feel not so run down. Protein is really important and sometimes a shake will give you just what you need. Adding yogurt, a banana or peanut butter will add protein and thicken it up so it stays in your small stomach longer.

Are you drinking protein shakes? I have 3 a day to get my protein requirements. I'm 7 days post-op and it'll be another week before I can move onto pureed food (like refried beans, yogurt, etc.) I'm still 3 weeks away from egg salad and chicken/tuna salad. I can have cream soups that have blended well.

not phases, but I have days like that. The last couple of days all I've wanted to eat are Protein shakes and yogurt.

I had my surgery 5/9. I’m on stage 2 diet already because my surgeon does that for most of his sleeve patients the day after surgery. I started out with some jello and yogurt and now am eating part skim ricotta. What I’m struggling with now is that I don’t feel hunger or fullness and I am worried about overeating.