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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.

Liz sounds great. I went to Panera Bread with my granddaughter last week and I ended up getting cheese/broccoli Soup that was delicious and it came with a baguette but I didn't even bite it at all. for dinner I wasn't up for a big meal, made hubby something and I had a yogurt. Quite happy and never stuffed. it is liberating.

So I am 1 week out of surgery and have just moved to full liquids. I have been eating about 1/2 a pudding cup at a time or 4 oz of cream Soup at a time throughout the day. I just went back and read through my book again and I realized it said I should be eating a teaspoon to a tablespoon of food "at a time" Does this mean I should be having a tablespoon of pudding/soup for a meal? I'm having trouble knowing how much food I should be eating. Overall how much should I be eating in a day? and how long did it take you to transition from clear to full to pureed etc. For example today I have eaten in total: 1-1 1/4 pudding snack 3 oz applesauce 2 oz yogurt

cottage cheese, yogurt, milk, pudding all have protein in it but it can be alot of dairy

Hi everyone! I hope that you all are staying safe and doing well. Since I'm taking some days off, I thought that I would catch up and touch base. I think I was among the last of the people whose surgery went as scheduled before everything shut down due the Coronavirus. What a different world we live in today. I do hope that those individuals who were scheduled in late March and in April had their surgeries re-scheduled -- don't give up! I'm here to tell you that it IS worth it in the end! I'm well on my journey to a transformed life and I would like to share my experiences to date. So far, I'm down 63 lbs. from when I started this journey and 70 lbs. from my highest weight. When I look in the mirror, sometimes I can hardly believe that I'm even doing this, but I am! My blood pressure has improved to near normal most days and my BMI has gone from 43 to 35. Also, I'm coming up on the halfway point of my journey! Because I see these questions asked often (and believe me, I had many of same questions myself), I will give my account from my personal experience. Pre-Op Following the instructions of your doctor does make a difference. I managed to lose about 20 pounds from October 2019 - March 2020 -- the more you lose, the better for your surgery. Strictly adhere to your 2 week liquid phrase and drink your water! Surgery My surgery was scheduled for March 17th and then it got pushed back to March 18th (I think my surgeon had scheduled a long weekend because he does his surgeries on Tuesdays). However because elective surgeries was due to be shut down during that week due to COVID-19, it was returned to the original date and my surgery was the first of the day. In addition to the by-pass, I had a hiatal hernia repair. The surgery took longer than normal because I was a bleeder (whatever that means) and scar tissue from when I had my gallbladder removed many years ago. But the Dr. and his team did their thing and it was a success. Post-ops was a bit disorientating and I was in a bit of discomfort, but by the time I was wheeled to my room, I was fully alert. What I didn't like: Not having anything to drink for 24 hours! That sucked. When I was able to drink, I could only have a few sips at a time. I had to do breathing exercises (in a little breathing tube thingy which was not a bad idea given COVID-19 was starting to get out there) and hours later, I got myself up and walked. I was determined to get up and walk! What you must do: You must get out of the bed and WALK! I stress that because when I had my gallbladder surgery, I stayed in the bed (it was done the old fashioned way where they hack you in 2 to get it out and I was in the hospital for a week) and did not get up until it was time for me to go home. Talk about the gas and the pain! Whew! I was not trying to feel all that again, so I got up and walked. Basically, post-op, I was fine and did well. 2 Weeks Post-op (Liquid/Strained food Phase) I didn't have much of an appetite and I did struggle getting in the protein. I mostly tried to get in the fluids first and foremost. My sis made me a LOT of ginger tea and that helped and I walked around the apartment and did a little walk outside. Soft Food Phase So for me, once I started eating food again -- my appetite came ROARING BACK! I mean roaring back and that caused some problems when I got into the regular food phase. I'm not a dairy person, so it was a struggle for me to eat eggs, cheese -- I just couldn't do the plain yogurt (yuck). I did manage to have some chili and beans, but I don't like beans either! Somehow, I got thru it though. Regular Food Phase You want to test drive your pouch? So here is what NOT to do: DO.NOT.OVEREAT. Because I wasn't one of those people who had to force themselves to eat due to a lack of appetite, I had to do a LOT of trial and error before my brain clicked. What I wish I had done: I asked my bari-nutritionist if I should get any special tools and she said no -- yet if I had to do it all over again, I would have purchased the bariatric plates and flatware. Even though I was using small plates, the servings were still not small enough -- typically out of prior habits -- and I would go to eat, then suddenly I felt food stuck in my throat and I wanted to throw up (but I couldn't). After that happened more than a few times, my brain finally got itself together and realized what was going on. I also was not used to leaving food on my plate -- like EVER. I was forcing myself to finish eating even though my body was giving me clear signals that I was DONE. Also, you learn very quickly which foods you can eat fine and others that you can't (Of course it's all of things that I like to eat...); those foods you have to eat in little portions. Suddenly I found myself (GASP!) throwing food in the trash! Who knew! Me! Being full and leaving fricking food on the plate and throwing it away! What!?!?!?! Yep, that's what Bari-by pass will do to you! Now I make smaller portions up front and I make sure that I eat the protein before I get full. I tend to eat only when I get hungry and when I'm full, I'm DONE. That is a big change from before when I kept right on eating and eating and eating and -- well, you get the drift. Continuing Challenge: Getting the water in. At best, I get 1 liter in/day. Between my heavy work load and knowing that I can't eat and drink at the same time anymore and I can only drink so much at one time! -- I have to choose on most days whether I'm concentrating on getting the water in or getting the protein in. That is a work in progress. I finally was able to get in a long walk today - 5 mi. I just have to go early in the morning to avoid the folk who don't wear masks, but it was great and I hope to re-start my walking routine (it will be a long moment before I return to a gym). So, if you have any questions, ask away!

I'm one month out. I still need to have at least one Protein shake/day at 24g. Otherwise I focus on protein first with everything I eat. Typically egg substitute at 6 Jimmy dean turkey sausage at 11 Yogurt/cottage cheese at 11-12 Cheese stick or cheese on eggs at 6@ dinner just the meat. Been getting in 60-80 Good luck! You can do it.

I am 7 weeks out and I have not lost my hunger either! I have to eat every 2 hours. One cheese stick here, some yogurt, a few bites of turkey, lick of peanut butter. Works for me! I have lost 37 lbs!

Hi Jillian, Sorry to hear that you are having some problems. The first week was rough for me too. I took Zophran every 8 hours for the first few days, then was able to cut back to taking it only at bedtime. When I tried to discontinue the Zophran at 1 week, I still had nausea, so I reduced it to 1/2 tab at bedtime. I continued taking the 1/2 tab at bedtime for about 3-4 weeks because if I skipped it I woke up feeling lousy during the night. As far as the protein: I could not tolerate any shakes that were thick or sweet tasting. I ordered the unflavored unjury. It is whey Protein, but it is pure whey protein isolate. This is much easier to digest than anything that contains whey protein concentrate, and it contains no lactose. When I needed more calories right after surgery because of limited intake, I mixed it with 1/2 Water, 1/2 fruit juice. (Then I switched to water with crystal light pure fitness--no artificial sweetners). If you do an internet search on protein supplements and diarrhea, you will find that body builders using protein often have diarrhea as well. I had severe (and I mean explosive) diarrhea during the preop phase until I switched to the Unjury). I still had some diarrhea for about the first week after surgery--but I have had that almost anytime I have gone from a regular diet to low carb, because cutting back on carbs causes most people to eliminate water. Diarrhea can be one of the ways that our body gets rid of Fluid. My mouth was unusually "dry" and had a bad taste for about a week after surgery. Sometimes you are given medications during surgery to dry secretions, and those can have a lingering effect, so having a dry mouth would not be the best way to watch for signs of dehydration. If your urine output is greatly reduced or it becomes dark in color, you need to head to the ER for some IV fluids. If you are still seeing the boyfriend that is in the medical profession, he should be able to help you monitor your skin for other signs of dehydrations as well. I was told to stay with Clear Liquids for 4 days after surgery. The next 4 weeks were full liquids only, and I was told that nothing should be thicker than yogurt and should have no small pieces. If your stomach isn't tolerating things that are thicker, then you go back to clears. As far as the fudgecicles--you said you had "a couple" plus yogurt before bed. That sounds like too much food over a short period of time for the first week--or even the first month. I could only tolerate about 2 oz at one time every 4 hours. Also, did the yogurt have any fruit in it? Another thing to consider is that Splenda/sucralose can cause severe GI problems. I did not use it at all after my surgery because I learned several years ago that it caused me to have nausea and stomach cramps. Do an internet search on "sucralose toxicity" and this will give you more information. I don't think you have dumping syndrome, but you need to advance your diet very slowly and concentrate on getting fluids and some form of protein that you can digest. Take care. It does get easier.

Good morning. I find that I really need that first cup of coffee to "warm me up" and get things lubricated and loose in the morning. I can't tolerate anything cold at first. Also, it takes about an hour after the coffee before I can eat anything, and that must be soft and smooth - usually a Greek yogurt. It takes a few hours before I can really eat something substantial. So, I find that lunch is my biggest meal. It also takes a really long time to learn how to chew your food correctly. I still don't get it right, and find myself getting stuck about every other day now. It was every day for a few weeks. I am 3 months post-op and have had 2 fills. I find that crunchy things help me to chew softer foods better. An example would be 1/2 a pita chip with some tuna, chicken, meatloaf, etc. Otherwise, I need to douse everything in some kind of liquid - salad dressing, hummus (I know, not really a liquid but it helps) ketchup, just to get it to go down smoothly. I read somewhere to take a piece of melon between bites to keep things moving. Hope this helps.

Please help Feb 16,09 Yogurt Fruit20 Special Soup SF Jello SF pudding Protein shake Water 60oz Cals Fat Protein total 990 19.4 133 Feb 17, 09 decf coffee yogurt beef barley soup chicken noodle soup SF jello SF pudding water 64oz Cals Fat Protein total 1065 13 71 Feb18, 09 Yogurt dcf coffee fruit20 cyto protein soup SF jello water 48oz Cals Fat Protein total 710 4 76 Feb19 Yogurt SF pudding Sf jello Chix broth Chix &wildrice soup minute maid lemonade SF Isopure water 64oz Cals Fat Protein total 740 13 78 Feb 20,09 (first day off liquid diet) Yogurt dcf coffee Kefir cauliflower soup Chix gumbo bake potato Light Tuna water 48oz Cals Fat Protein total 1463 27 95 Feb 21, 09 Broiled cod cottage cheese dcf coffee cr chix soup baby foo green Beans (yuk) pizza VEG PIZZA SAUSAGE WINE 5 glasses water 40oz Cals Fat Protein total 1237 26.8 68 Wow I've got questions for ya Firday was 2 weeks since surgery If you look at my food journal you'll see what I find amazing. I started mushies on Friday and this weekend I ate canned venison, pizza,broiled cod,cheese and venison sausage. I don't think of these as mushies. Had no problems eating them though. I drank 5 glasses of wine on Saturday night at party with past co-workers. I know that wasn't smart. Also cals are way up to about 1400 day. Is this acceptable? What are mushies? Could I have damaged anything? I don't think so, and feel good. What should one be consuming 2 weeks after surgery? As far as streghting my pouch shouldn't I have thrown up because of over stuffing? Did I over stuff? Any advice please Bearbelly

My surgeon told me that it's not uncommon for patients to develop a food intolerance after surgery. Sometimes they're permanent and sometimes they go away. The reason you're not seeing problems with cheese, yogurt, or cottage cheese is that the lactose has been almost completely removed from those foods. The processes used to make these foods are different, but they each end up removing most of the lactose from the milk. For now, try soy milk or a lactose free milk. Of course, you could just skip milk altogether. As for the wheat products, I'd guess it's a wheat intolerance, not a gluten intolerance. Otherwise, you'd be getting sick from almost everything you ate. Try oatmeal and rye bread. If this persists, try keeping a detailed diary of what you eat and how you feel afterward. Take it to your PCP and ask them for help. They may just tell you to avoid those foods...or they may decide to do further testing. Either way, it's good to keep them in the loop. :cry_smile: Good luck!

I was sleeved on 12/6 and I lost 50lbs. I've been the last month 2-3lbs up, 2-3lbs down. I usually eat eggs, cheese and ham or turkey ham for Breakfast, tuna fish for lunch, chicken or beef for dinner (mostly chicken, I do beef once a week) and for Snacks two whey Protein shakes and one yogurt. Sometimes I can fit veggies and sometimes I can't. That depends on my baby stomach everyday Lol Yes I do three Snacks per day. I've being having trouble the last month. I haven't been away from the 215 and is driving me nuts. Im doing insanity now for exercise

I absolutely love Bariatric Advantage . . . you can get either chocolate, vanilla, mocha, or strawberry. . . i have chocolate and vanilla. . . you can mix the powder with yogurts, sugar free puddings, jello, or you add sugar free syrups to it along with peanut butter, and different flavored extracts. . . i like peanut butter 1 tsp mixed with chocolate BA protein to make reeses peanut butter cup flavor, or add cherry extract for that chocolate cherry flavor. . . i also mix my protein mixes with skim milk not water! Good luck!

I'm 6 weeks post-op and transitioned to soft foods 3 weeks post-op. I've had very good luck with food, so I was cleared to eat what I could tolerate more quickly than other patients my surgeon has. Here's what I had yesterday, which is very typical for me: Breakfast: 2 ounces Cherry Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt and 1 light string cheese. Lunch: 2 oz. of a Ranch flavored Starkist Tuna Creations pouch; 1 light string cheese; 1 ounce pears in Water. PM Snack: One Premier Protein shake (30g) Dinner: 2 oz. grilled turkey breast tenderloin marinated in 2 Tbsp. Fat Free Zesty Italian dressing, 1 ounce peas. I also drank 64 ounces of water during the day. It worked out to 531 calories and 84 grams of protein for the day. I am usually between 550 and 600 calories. My nutritionist is very happy with my food journal since surgery. Down 40 pounds in 6 weeks as of today. Good luck to you in the new year!

Hello out there, I'm new to this site. My husband had surgery yesterday. He only sucked on ice chips after he got home. He tried a couple of bites of jello but said it hurt when he swallowed. I thought this might be because of the breathing tube. Today his voice sounded better and he said his throat doesn't hurt anymore, but his stomach is hurting when he swallows. He tried plain yogurt today. So he hasn't really eaten in two days! I'm a little worried....is this normal?????

The procedure was, by far, the greatest thing I ever did for myself! I have dropped just over 30 lbs in a few days shy of three weeks and I'm eating fish, lentils, black beans,Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and protein shakes. Every doctor is different but the end result is the same: we save our lives.

Applesauce may help and last night I tried with lemon noosa yogurt and it was really tolerable. Someone else said sugar free cool whip, make a hole in it and then put your crushed meds in and take one bite and it goes down. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Remember anything liquid is going to flush through quickly so you may never get a feeling of "full" from a yogurt drink or even a protein drink. From what I've read on here, once you start on regular solid foods (like meat) you'll quickly figure out what "full" is.

No problems whatsoever. My timing would have been quicker but I had to wait for college to break. I am not unhappy at all. this has been the best thing I could have done. what a great tool for weight loss. My first postop was yesterday and I was down 15 from surgery date and 22 in all. yes. i was on OptiSource until yesterday. Can have cottage cheese, yogurt, peanut butter and eggs/egg substitute now. very happy :biggrin:

That is a really good idea. I am doing fine on the pre op except that yogurt seems to go straight through, if you know what I mean. I am really getting excited about Thursday. I hope to be able to return to work on Monday.

I had been taking them before surgery and will continue again once I heal and can swallow a capsule. I never had that problem before surgery though. I took a heavy pro-biotic supplement with minimum 10 strains. Maybe go back to the miralax and eat yogurt for a while and see what happens. That sounds more like allergies or not enough Fluid intake, maybe?

Thank you tmf!! I am having a shake now, I could not even get a Greek yogurt down ...I am happy to know this is normal tho

I've been on this stage for a week - granted, everyone's NUT has different recommendations, but here are my common foods: Fat-free refried beans (w/melted cheese or Laughing Cow wedges) Any soup that sounds yummy - blended up in my magic bullet (loaded baked potato - YUM!) Greek yogurt Mashed potatoes (again, add some Laughing Cow wedges - extra protein & flavor!) Protein shakes (although I'm more creative with them now - google some recipes!) Turkey Chili (either blended or not - if not, I chew any chewable pieces up really well first!) Scrambled eggs - small bites, go slow! My NUT and doctor said, essentially, I can eat anything that doesn't require chewing (although I have to chew my eggs...but they said those were okay!). I was also told that I should try one food at a time to see how my body reacts - tuna canned in water, for instance, is "allowed" on my list of puree foods, but I'm too scared to try it quite yet. I was reminded at my follow up earlier this week to just go slow, introduce foods one at a time, and remember that you are NOT healed yet! I do drink coffee with creamer and unsweetened iced tea...oh, and plenty of water! Caffeine has never been a "no no" for me, but I'm not allowed to try carbonated drinks until I'm 30 days post-op. Hope that helps! If nothing else, you could get a Quarter Pounder w/Cheese and throw it in a blender!!

Ditto to the list above - plus hummus, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, tuna (pureed) egg salad ... No caffeine for me - not recommended at all bc of diuretic effect. And no carbonated beverages allowed - ever. That's my NUT rules.

... and I don't know about you, but I'm super excited to be eating tomato soup!! LOL My leak test was the day after my surgery, so I did Clear liquids from tgen until now... I'm now allowed "full liquids" so my day has been pretty exciting (by newly VSG'd standards lol). I had 4 teaspoons of runny oatmeal for Breakfast, 4 teaspoons of yogurt and 3 ounces of a Premier Protein shake as a snack, and now I'm sipping creamy tomato Soup for lunch. How is everyone else doing?? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App