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Billie, I had mine last Tuesday. I can down a 10 ounce protein shake in about an hour without even putting much effort into it. I tried yogurt the first time yesterday and I was only supposed to eat 2 tablespoons. I ate 3 ounces and had to stop myself because I had gone way over the limit. I wasn't full! I'm with you! I worry I can eat too much!

i just had the surgery on friday 4/22 and beforehand i was on a 2 week pre op diet that consisted of oatmeal, raw veggies, yogurt, sugar free pudding, sugar free jello and no sugar added applesauce. I also had to drink 4 protein shakes a day... now i am on a clear liquid diet for a week and then i move onto pureed food, then soft foods, and then finally a regular diet. We too have to use a salad plate make half of it veggies 1/4 of it protein and 1/4 starches. right now i am not hungry at all and haven't been since the surgery but the pain where the port is is very tender. i am able to get up on my own but can't bend over or lift anything for awhile. I am also only taking a week off of work but the surgeon said that you could potentially have the surgery on friday and go back to work on monday. I live in NJ and if you want the name of my surgeon just let me know they are awesome

Wow! What a difference! Day 1 2 and 3 were painful and horrible. Finally today I'm feeling 1000x better!! I was able to eat 6 Oz protein broth and 2 TBS Greek yogurt + a bit of water. I'm down 20 pounds since my pre-op liquid diet. Going back to work Monday and feel like I can handle it. Whew. I was miserable for a few days. Good luck all!

Hi all. I am being sleeved next Monday August 20th. What do you use to make your foods purée. I have a magic bullet. Is that enough? I hate Greek yogurt and really don't want to eat baby food. Also, what to you eat on full liquids besides protein shakes and yuke, yogurt.

Last night I made these up. I had one for a snack earlier today, and it was delicious. This is a great way to get some Protein in, especially if you have a hard time tolerating shakes. I'm going to experiment a little with the recipe and change up the flavor of Protein powder and yogurt to see what other flavor combinations work well together. Dannon Light and Fit yogurt would knock about 8 calories off per pop, too. I was just out of that brand when I made these. Double Chocolate/Black Cherry Protein Pops In a blender, combine the following -2 scoops of chocolate protein powder (I used what I had on hand, the Walgreens brand) -1 6oz container of Greek yogurt with fruit (I used Great Value's Greek yogurt with black cherry) -8 oz of unsweetened vanilla almond milk After blending, pour into popsicle molds. Freeze and enjoy. This recipe filled five molds for me. Here is the nutritional information for each pop: Calories 94 Carbs 8 Fat 1 Protein 13.4 Sodium 83 Sugar 5

I am eating soup out of a mug and am now buying those tiny cans of fancy flavoured flaked tuna. I eat those right out of the can. I know that I am kinda cheating since I am not supposed to graduate to mushies until this Thursday but I am being very careful with the chew, chew, chewing. Other than that I am eating (mostly) those small portions of yogurt right out of the little cups they come in. I haven't used a plate since pre-op. lol My washing up consists of loads of tiny forks and spoons and masses of cups and glasses. Okay by me. Our dishwasher died. Now I'm it.:heh:

Thanx for the warning, Cloe. I had been feeling no sense of restriction until I went out with a girlfriend on Saturday. I ordered a plate of braised tofu in Chinatown - it's as liquid as yogurt - and had a few bites of rice. After I left the restaurant I felt a bit weird for a few minutes. I found myself explaining to my girlfriend about productive burps. She looked scared. LOL Actually I was a little freaked out myself. I've got a phobia about anything coming up the same way it went down.

Amen to what the others have said...it will get better...much better! I'm almost 6 months post-op and my wife is 4 months...and we're loving life! I honestly feel like those first few months were a lifetime ago...distant memories! Although I still cringe at the thought of chicken broth, Greek yogurt and Jello! LOL Hang in there, follow docs orders to the letter and I promise, you'll look back a few months from now and feel the same way! Good luck!

I'm going through Ready4Achange and going to see Dr. Garcia in Feb. This message will be a bit long but I'm going to paste in the pre-op instructions that alma sent. I'm also going to add in some things I've found alot of users posting about just in case it helps. Most suggest bringing some gas-x strips to help with gas pain after surgery. Bring some chapstick for dry lips and biotene mouth spray for dry mouth for those times where you can't drink before and immediately after surgery. I've also seen some suggest that you bring neosporine and a few extra bandages for the hotel stay and to have for the flight or drive home. I've also seen some suggest that you bring a small bottle of dial antibacterial body wash for shower times to help prevent infection of the incision areas. lol think that's everything best of luck! Just think, your life will be different by the end of this year! --------------------------------------------------------------------- PRE-OP INSTRUCTIONS START THIS DIET 7-14 DAYS PRIOR TO SURGERY Use any prepared canned or powdered Protein Drink. You may purchase these in any health food store or many grocery stores. Please be sure it contains at least 15 grams of Protein per serving. 1 protein drink at Breakfast 1 protein drink at lunch Dinner: salad with Protein (chicken, fish, egg, etc), small amount of low fat dressing, or fat free dressing or olive oil and vinegar. 1 protein drink in the evening if needed You may also take 1 Metamucil capsule per day if needed for hunger. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Start this phase 3 days before surgery: Take a laxative (any laxative that you usually use). Take only Clear Liquids after that. This consists of broth, Jell-o, sugar-free juice, any clear liquid You may have nothing to eat or drink after the midnight preceding surgery or 8 hours prior to your surgery. If you are a Same Day Surgery arrive with an empty stomach. If you are coming in a day prior you may have dinner but nothing after midnight. You may take needed medications (such as heart or blood pressure medications) with sips of Water the morning of surgery as directed by our Doctors. Do not take any aspirin, Advil, Nuprin, Aleve or any other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication for 7 days prior to surgery. These medications cause unnecessary bleeding after surgery. This includes baby aspirin and most arthritis medications. If you are not sure, please check with our Doctors.. For Headache or minor pains you may use Tylenol. You may restart these medications the next day after surgery. Do not take any herbal medications for 7 days prior to surgery. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Bring comfortable shoes and slippers to Mexico, you will be asked to walk several times per day. Please bring your medications in properly labeled pharmaceutical bottles for documentation of dosages. You will be on a liquid and soft food diet for two weeks after surgery. Stock up on sugar-free liquids: Crystal Light, sugar free fruit juices, apple sauce, yogurt, sugar-free pudding, sugar-free jell-o, thin Soups and caffeine-free teas. If you do not like the flavor of chicken broth, make chicken noodle Soup and strain out the solids. Avoid all carbonated beverages (fills the stomach with gas). Avoid sugar (extra calories that fight against weight loss). Caffeine makes you urinate more and can lead to dehydration. You will need to drink plenty of liquids to prevent dehydration after surgery. Sport drink bottles with measurements on the side will help ensure you are drinking enough liquid. You will need to drink at least two quarts (2,000cc) per day to prevent dehydration. You will not be able to gulp liquids so you will want to drink small amounts throughout the day.

My docs orders were to stay on a liquid diet for 3 weeks which included some protein drinks. Then it's a pureed stage for 3 weeks, Then mushy stage and finally regular food. The time went by pretty fast. I did have some yogurt in my 3rd week. This will pass and you will be very happy with the weight your dropping. Hang in there is gets a lot better really soon. I promise.

3 weeks on liquids. 2 protein shakes a day and 3rd meal of 1 cup of any non-cream based soup. I can have sf Popsicles and 1snack a day of either Greek yogurt or 1cup cottage cheese. Sf drinks, decaf coffee or tea and vegetable juice (no fruit juice). That's it.

Hey, BariatricPal Members! First, we admit it – we goofed! We have to apologize to those members who received multiple copies of the BariatricPal newsletter because of a bug in our system. We also apologize to those members who did not receive a newsletter. Our technical team has been working on it, and the problem is fixed now. Sorry about any inconvenience. And now, on to the January newsletter! It’s hard to believe that we’re already through January and into February! We hope that so far in 2014, you have been achieving your goals in weight loss and in life. BariatricPal is the best place for weight loss surgery support, so we hope you’ve been visiting frequently. If not, come on back and join the conversations! Before you do, take a look at this month’s newsletter. You’ll find: Member Poll: How Do You Beat the Cold? Member Spotlight: Meet Joanna! BariatricPal Social Media – Stay Connected! Surviving Super Bowl Sunday After Weight Loss Surgery Enjoy the newsletter, and then talk about it – and whatever else is on your mind – at BariatricPal. There’s always plenty going on there to take your mind off of the winter weather and to motivate you to stay on track with your weight loss. See you on the boards! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal Member Poll: How Do You Beat the Cold? This year has seen record-setting freezes and winter storms throughout much of the country, and the cold weather will stick around for a few more weeks. Whether you are a New Yorker who has seen temps dip below 0 degree Fahrenheit or a Californian who shivers when it is below 50 degrees, what do you do to keep warm? Exercise more. It gets my metabolism going and keeps me warm for hours. Plus, I burn extra calories! Drink some hot coffee or tea to warm up my insides. Plus, since my weight loss surgery diet doesn’t let me eat solid foods when I drink liquids, drinking coffee or tea keeps me from turning to food to warm me up. Turn up the heat or start a fire in the fireplace, pile on the blankets, and distract myself from the cold by reading, knitting, using the computer or talking on the phone. Nothing in particular, but I need help! Since weight loss surgery, I have been less able to tolerate cold than I used to be. I hate to admit it, but the only thing that warms me up is some good old comfort food…macaroni and cheese or freshly baked Cookies. Luckily, I can’t tolerate much after weight loss surgery! Other (tell us!). Click on this link so you can select your answer and give us more details in the forums! Member Spotlight – Meet Joanna! We are thrilled that our first member spotlight of the year is on Joanna. Joanna knew she was overweight, but the deciding factor in getting surgery was when she had to get off of a roller coaster because she could not fit into the seat! She is a gastric bypass patient who got her surgery done in June of 2012. Her health insurance approved the procedure, and her hospital stay was two days. At a height of 5’7”, Joanna weighed 289 pounds and had a BMI of 45. Since losing 73 pounds, she has achieved a BMI of 33, and is about halfway to her goal weigh of 150 pounds. The journey has been hard, but she has no regrets and would do it again. She says that the drawbacks are that she has low Iron and Vitamin B12 levels, and she does not like constantly being on medications. On the other hand, she recommends the gastric bypass to anyone who needs it because it could save your life. She watches everything she eats to make sure she loses weight. Joanna says she chooses fat-free and no sugar-added choices whenever possible. She tries to avoid junk food. And her favorite snack? Greek yogurt with fruit. Great choice! It’s high in Protein, low in fat, and high in dietary fiber. You know what you’re doing, Joanna! Thank you, Joanna, for being in our spotlight! All the best to you as you continue on your journey, and thanks for sharing it with BariatricPal. We also want to mention that Joanna welcomes questions from other BariatricPal members! Our member spotlights feature BariatricPal members who have gotten any type of weight loss surgery. This is to help promote BariatricPal’s mission of providing a unified front for all types of weight loss surgery. We can all learn from each other, regardless of where you are in your weight loss journey or what type of surgery you have or are considering. Are you interested in being in our member spotlight? Do you know a BariatricPal member that you would like to see spotlighted? Let us know! Nominate yourself or someone else in the Member Spotlight topic or send Alex Brecher a private message (PM). BariatricPal Social Media – Stay Connected! BariatricPal isn’t just at our website and on our mobile apps for Android and for iPhone, iPod, and iPad. We are all over the internet on your favorite social media. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and check out the latest happenings on Google Plus, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. All of the links to our social media sites are available at the bottom of each page of BariatricPal. Be the first to know what is happening at BariatricPal! Surviving Super Bowl Sunday After Weight Loss Surgery Super Bowl Sunday is Sunday, February 2. Even people who do consider themselves diehard football fans tune in to the big game. If you are one of the 150 million people who are expected to watch this Sunday’s game between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks, chances are that you have to face the food that comes with a Super Bowl party. chips and dip, jalapeno poppers, chicken wings, snack mixes, pizza and cupcakes just aren’t for you anymore after weight loss surgery. They are not only high-calorie, but they can give gastric bypass and sleeve patients dumping syndrome or cause obstructions or blockages for lap-band patients. You can still enjoy good food at your Super Bowl party, though. Just plan ahead, and use these strategies to help you. Be Sure There is Something You Can Eat If there is no food available that you should eat, you will probably end up eating something that you should not eat. Make sure that there is some food available that is part of your weight loss diet. You can prepare enough only for yourself, or you can prepare one or more larger dishes or platters that everyone can share. Easy Snacks for yourself include hard-boiled eggs, mixed nuts or peanuts (small serving size!), low-fat string cheese and beef jerky. If you prefer to bring a dish for everyone, try a vegetable platter with hummus or dip made with Greek yogurt, or a large Greek salad with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, and chicken breast. Everyone will appreciate your contribution, and you will have healthy food to munch on during the game. These are some other ideas for snacks. Stuffed mushrooms with extra lean ground turkey, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese Grilled chicken breast on skewers with roasted zucchini Meatballs with ground turkey and Italian seasoning Egg, spinach and ham bites baked in muffin cups Apple slices with Peanut Butter Cheese platter with grapes and nuts Pace Yourself A football game can last three or more hours. You will feel sick if you eat constantly during this time, even if you are eating healthy foods. Unfortunately, food will probably be offered the whole time. Your best bet is to pace yourself with a few snacks that fit into your weight loss surgery diet. For example, you could plan to have one small snack during each quarter of the game. That works out to about one snack per 45 or 60 minutes. Take a break during half-time to focus on the show and the commercials, and drink some Water. Move Like an Athlete Get some exercise in the morning or early afternoon before the game-starting coin toss. If you live somewhere with good enough weather, go for a brisk walk outdoors. If the weather is too extreme, go to the gym or do a short workout with hand weights at home. During the game, use the commercials as opportunities to get some light exercise. You don’t have to skip the famous advertisements; just be sure to move during them. When you keep moving during the game, you will be reminding yourself that you are working hard to lose weight. That gives you extra motivation to eat well! Do you have any other strategies for surviving Super Bowl Sunday? Talk about them at BariatricPal so that all of us can benefit, and let us know what you think about our tips. Enjoy the game! That is about it for this month’s newsletter. We hope you found it inspirational and informative, and we look forward to seeing you on the boards! Remember; feel free to contact us at any time with feedback, questions, and suggestions. Our members keep us going, and we love hearing from you! Take care of yourselves and each other.

I did not have a barium swallow done. I didn't have GERD issues before surgery just minor heartburn/indigestion caused by what I was eating (which was basically fast food and other crap). I was just saying that I've experienced heartburn before so that's how I know what it feels like. As far as what I eat now - I'm still in soft foods so eggs, fish, chicken (though I havent tolerated it well), yogurt, jello, soups, protein shakes, almond butter, string cheese, lean turkey lunch meat and sweet potatoes. That's about all I've got in rotation these days. I only drink water or watered down gatorade G2. No eating and drinking together. I plan to go to my doctor, I was just wondering if anyone else has had these experiences and if it turned out to be GERD

I prefer Chobani Greek yogurt. During mushies I used a hand blender to mince the fruit. Also splendra helps with the sourness. Make sure to get 0 or 2%, some brands are full fat!

I found the Fage Greek Fat Free yogurt to have the lowest Carbs and calories with the highest protein content of them all.

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.

In order to get in your protein I would definitely suggest you start your day with a protein shake. You can get in about 25 grams. Even if you start eating/drinking at say noon you will have enough time to get in more food as the day progresses. I would try and eat every 4-6 hours. Even a yogurt or some almonds. Good luck to you.

I'm on regular diet and have been since the first week of july. I had my surgery on june 11. I read the forums and people are able to take in over 70 grams of protein and 64 oz of water a day and are able to keep the carbs less than 30 grams a day. I was told it was better to get most of my proteing from food and not the shakes. The problem is I can't get more than 30- 40 grams of protein (if i'm lucky) and 30 oz of water a day. It take me so long to eat, I keep pushing back when I can drink and then i forget to drink. I'm worried about muscle loss and dehydration. I'm feeling overwhelmed. I've tried greek yogurt and cottage cheese but did not like them. I have been good making sure i eat 2 to 3 times a day. what foods have high protein and low calorie beside meat. thanks for your help.

3 pints of just milk and yogurt? that provides barely any nutrients or protein I have never heard of that type of liquid pre op diet. For most people you do protein shakes. typically 3-5 a day. of course all surgeons are different but yours seems a bit odd...

I used to eat such good things...now I feel like I'm living on scrambled eggs, deli meats, cheese, and yogurt! I was doing great at 6 weeks out, now at almost 10 weeks my poor stomach is having such issues. I had an endoscopy almost 2 weeks ago that showed severe gastritis (irritation) and so many things just don't sit well anymore. A lot of the foods I depended on make me sick now. I'm really hoping this will resolve over time because I'm getting really frustrated. I'm down 46 pounds since my surgery, and 70 from my high, so that's the good news. I just hope I don't have to deal with this part much longer...

Hi Sleeve family, I am 2 1/2 years out and I am not losing anymore. Can someone please give me some food ideals. This what my food schedule look like : Breakfast - oatmeal or boil egg or Greek yogurt Lunch- boneless chicken breast or can tuna and fresh fruit salad or vegetables and hummus or cup of Soup Dinner- bake fish, or chicken, or turkey with Steam vegetables Please help!!

My doctor had me 1 week liquids and 1 week mushy. On my mushy phase I had cream of wheat, greek yogurt smoothies, mashed potatoes, apple sauce, puree butternut squash, carrots and my favorite of all split pea soup.

I had a dumping episode of last night. I can start full liquids on pod #3, that includes Greek yogurt and cottage cheese. I had 2oz of Fage 0% for dinner and had a horrible dumping episode about 20 min after I finished, bad stomach cramps, sweating, some diarrhea, I ate super slow over 45 min, but can't handle this yet, maybe not ready for dairy. I'll go back to stuff I know is safe for a while.

You need to make good food choices. McDonald's is not a good food choice. Chicken nuggets are terrible for you. Good proteins first and then non-starchy veggies. Things like REAL chicken, fish, etc and none of it breaded or fried. String cheese, cottage cheese, low carb low sugar yogurt, eggs. If you are hungry for a snack you can even indulge in a little bit of hummus or roasted almonds... yum. Or do a google search for chicken crust pizza and make yourself a delicious, healthy, low carb, protein packed pizza. You have to change the way you are eating, the sleeve is only a tool. How we use it is up to us. Also, remember, if you are getting hungry often.... carbs bring on hunger. Protein helps fill you up. Try to keep that protein between 90-100 grams a day and keep those carbs under 40 grams a day. If you aren't already using it, use myfitnesspal to keep track of your carbs, protein and calories.