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@@snog That's the right attitude! I used that time to test our several Protein shakes and get used to them. I've been sipping this week so I get used to that feeling, as well. I cut out all soda, candy, Snacks, fried foods (obviously for the ulcers), etc. I don't miss it one bit. I have been snacking on sugar free pudding, SF ice pops and yogurt. Hopefully I've prepared myself as best I can. Hopefully you can do the same. I also used this time to clean out my closets of summer stuff that absolutely won't fit next year, and get rid of some old "smaller size" clothes that I won't wear even if I fit into them. That's helped me keep my chin up.

My go-to for a homemade Protein shake: 2 ounces plain Kefir (liquid yogurt) 2 spoonfuls Peanut Butter powder 1 scoop unflavored protein powder 4 ounces unsweetened almond milk Ice I blend this and let it sit for a couple minutes before drinking to let the foam settle a bit. I make the same for my wife with some Splenda or sugar-free vanilla syrup added, because she likes it sweeter. The Kefir and peanut butter powder both add protein and help cover the Protein Powder flavor. For me, this is better than any premade shake I have tried. The recipe could be tweaked a bit to your liking!

Doctor requires Unjury protein mix. So I have chocolate and unflavored. Not horrible. I have to have 4 shakes a day, 2 with fat free milk 2 with non dairy/sugar free crystal light or broth. Then 6 servings of either sugar free jello or pudding cups and or light and fit yogurt.

Did anyone find that once they lessened their dependency on Protein shakes and stared eating more real food, their weight loss progressed faster? Been stalled for 3 weeks now after 9/29 surgery. Right now, a typical day is... B- pure Protein shake S- dannon light and fit vanilla Greek yogurt (1 carton) L- canned chicken (3 oz) with light mayo S - pure protein shake D - lean protein like fish or chicken (3 oz) S - pure protein shake Usually ends up at about 700 calories and 120g protein. So those numbers are OK per the NUT. But, wondering if the shakes may be causing the stall. Going to start tomorrow having a scrambled egg for Breakfast and some nuts for morning snack, keeping 1 shake a day. May have to supplement with some unflavored Protein powder to get to the number. Just wondering if anyone else stalled due to the shakes. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm on day 3 of my 14 day preop diet. I never realized how bad my gag reflux was till I tried to choke down Protein shake chicken broth! (Ick) im determined to stick to it....and chugged it down. The smell of Protein powder makes me nauseous at this point. I'm drinking as much Water as I can handle and that's been helping for sure. my biggest complaint other than that is just how weak my body feels...I'm getting 100gs of protein daily from the shakes and light yogurt but get light headed and weak so easily. Positive thoughts. It will all be worth it!

Bottom line -- at 14+ months post-op, I get hungry. Sorry you're having trouble with that. I also eat at (mostly) the same times every day -- lunch at noon, dinner at 5:00 pm. Breakfast schedule is a little loosey-goosey. Mid-morning snack around 10:00, and after-dinner dessert (usually yogurt) around 6:00 pm.

im only just a week out now and have been eating applesauce and yogurt both of which i hated prior to surgery and still hate lol and drinking high Protein milk,shakes, tea (decafe) and Water. i cant wait to have some smashed foods next monday

No, no, no..that isn't my sandwich. I just wanted to give a visual of the end product. I did have a sliced chicken breast, spicy mustard and Havarti cheese sandwich this afternoon. I was only able to eat half and used the "cloud" bread as the bun. I had surgery seven weeks ago and was never required a pureed food stage. By day ten I was allowed soft Proteins and by my first month was eating well cooking veggies, canned fruits, juicy pork loin, moist chicken, tender turkey, shrimp, baked flaky fish and of course the usual cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese sticks, lean deli meats.

Probiotics are the natural gut- intestinal flora that are part of your immune system. I would say that although yogurt is good, it.s not the best source of probiotics due to inadequate live cultures. If you do get approval to take one, there are many options but as with anything , you get what you pay for. I like Dr Ohiras and also Pearl Elite. Since we VSG patients have had essentially cut out part of our stomachs thru surgery, we need to replenish and maintain these essential " good" bacteria thru supplementation. They do seem to help with digestion / elimination and since I work in a medical clinic, protection from illnesses.

My pre op diet is soft foods- cottage cheese, creamy soup, shakes, yogurt, etc. Basically all the soft foods you can have in those first 2 weeks after surgery. Congrats on your date!

I can have Protein drinks, clear broths, 1 serving of sugar free yogurt per day ... Water / diet Snapple ... think that's about it!! .. same thing for me, no late nights .. just survival!! :-)

@winklie It may be a lil while before you can eat the pizza but the quiche is a staple in my diet and a go-to even now when I don't have time to prepare anything. It takes a little while to make initially but when you only have to spend 1 minute 30 seconds in the microwave to reheat a piece, you'll be loving it. Same with the pizza as far as time goes to make the crusts but then only 5 minutes in the oven and you're eating delicious pizza - yum! I kinda like taking pics of my food too Magic Crust Quiche - Ham Ingredients 2 cups 1% Lowfat Milk 1/2 cup All-purpose flour 5 large eggs 1/2 cup 2% Reduced Fat Pepper Jack cheese shredded 1/2 cup 2% Reduced Fat Swiss Cheese shredded 1/2 cup 2% Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded 7 oz Ham diced small 1/4 cup Cooked red bell pepper diced small 1/4 cup Cooked Vidalia or sweet onion diced small Preheat oven to 350˚. In a blender or NutriBullet, mix eggs, milk and flour until blended, season with salt, pepper, garlic powder or whatever you’d like. In a bowl combine all cheeses, cooked meat and cooked veggies. Now add blended mixture and stir to combine. Pour into an 8”x8” or 9”x9” square glass dish. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Let stand 5-10 before serving. You can add whatever cheeses, veggies or meats suit your taste. I steer clear of chicken as it seems to dry to me. The small amount of flour firms up the sides and bottom making the “magic crust” while saving tons of calories. The Nutrition Facts are based on recipe above. FYI - the heavier meats, like ground beef, tend to fall to the bottom. Serving size is approximately 2”x2 1/2” Nutrition Facts Servings 12 Per serving: Calories 120 Protein 12g Fat 5g Cholesterol 94 mg Sodium 253 mg Potassium 59 mg Total Carbohydrate 7 g Sugars 2 g PIZZA CRUST – (Chicken) Ingredients One pound ground (raw) chicken breast ¼ cup grated Parmesan ¼ cup Reduced fat 4 cheese Italian shredded cheese – ¼ cup shredded cheese is 1 oz. by weight ½ teaspoon garlic powder ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp black or cayenne pepper (I used cayenne) Tools Mixing bowl (stand mixer - easiest combing method) Baking sheet, pizza pan or pizza stone (crispiest crust) Parchment paper Wax paper Rolling pin Pam or any vegetable non-stick cooking spray Instructions Preheat oven to 450°F. In a medium bowl combine all of the above ingredients.Place a wet paper towel on a flat surface then place your parchment paper on it. Spray it with Pam and then put your chicken mixture on top. Mixture makes 6 – 3 oz. portions, so 6 individual crusts. Lightly spray a sheet of wax paper with non-stick cooking spray (makes for easy removal). Place wax paper, sprayed side down and evenly press using a rolling pin to get it as thin as you’d like. Remove the wax paper and place parchment paper on pan bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes (depending on thickness). Put the crust between two paper towels and pat to absorb any grease. It is chicken after all. Then place it on a new sheet of parchment before topping it. Top baked crust with sauce, cheese and you favorite healthy toppings. Place back in oven on baking sheet or preheated pizza stone and cook until melted and bubbly 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy! If you bake it on a pizza stone it will get crispier. Crust Only: Nutrition Facts Amount Per Serving: Servings 6.0 Calories 114 Total Fat 3g Carbohydrate 1g Dietary Fiber 0g Sugars 0g Protein 19g As Prepared : 1 Tbsp Prego pizza sauce 2 Tbsp Sargento reduced fat 4 cheese Italian shreds 1 tsp sautéed Vidalia onion 1 tsp sautéed red bell pepper ½ oz. cooked 90/10 lean ground beef Nutrition Facts Servings 1.0 Calories 238 Total Fat 10g Carbohydrate 5g Dietary Fiber 1g Sugars 2g Protein 31g Premier Protein pudding Cups or Pops Prepare pudding according to package directions replacing milk with chocolate Premier Protein shake. I prefer to use my NutriBullet. If using shaker, shake for 3 minutes or until thickened slightly. Pour into ½ cup containers for pudding cups. For frozen pops, pour into Jello pudding pop or any popsicle molds. Jello molds hold 1/3 cup each. Pudding cups set in 5 minutes and freezer pops in approx. 2-3 hours. Any flavor sugar-free fat-free pudding works, so get creative and enjoy! Nutrition Facts – Pudding Nutrition Facts – Pudding Pop Serving size: ½ cup Serving Size: 1 Pop Calories 93 Calories 62 Fat 1g Fat 1g Carbs 10g Carbs 7g Fiber 2g Fiber 1g Sugars 0g Sugars 0g Protein 12g Protein 8g Crustless Protein pumpkin Pie 15 oz. can 100% pumpkin (not pie filling) ½ cup Egg whites 1 ½ cup Premier Protein vanilla shake ¾ cup Splenda ½ tsp. Salt 2 Tbsp. Pumpkin pie spice Preheat oven 400°. Spray pie pan with non-stick cooking spray. Beat all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Pour into prepared pie pan. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes, then turn down to 375° and bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. It is best served cold and can even be frozen. Serving size is 1/6 slice of pie. I used a Tbsp. of fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt as a topping (pic) but you could use Reddi-Wip fat-free whipped cream for an additional 5 calories & only 1 carb per 2 Tbsp. serving. Nutrition Facts – Pie Only Servings: 6 Calories 77 Fat 1g Carbs 10g Fiber 4g Sugars 6g Protein 9g

I found out this morning my surgery is scheduled for Nov. 16. My pre op diet starts on the 6th, but its a soft diet (shakes, creamy Soup, yogurt, cream of wheat, etc).

so far today. yogurt with yummy little sweet orange things whose names i can't think of now and another five bites or so of that yummy enchirito. might try that Protein mug cake thing tonight

Have not had ham salad, but a couple meat salad type things I have done: Tuna salad - pouch of tuna, tbsp of light mayo, tbsp of yellow or brown mustard, lemon pepper seasoning to taste. Buffalo chicken dip - followed this recipe, except the store did not have any small plain greek yogurt, so used light sour cream. http://www.food.com/recipe/hungry-girl-buffalo-chicken-dip-413265 Hummus deviled eggs - I keep it simple, one hard boiled egg, remove the yoke and break it up in a bowl. Add a tbsp of your favorite hummus plus a dash of salt and pepper. Mix well and then spoon into the egg white halves.

I am one month out today and I still don't like my Protein shakes. They are all so nauseatingly sweet to me. Do you like milk? I have been mixing some unflavored Protein powder in my milk and I can't taste it at all. This has been the only way I can tolerate the protein powder. Plus, the milk gives it some extra protein. If you don't like milk or are lactose intolerant, I would suggest trying the unflavored protein powder in your drink of choice, or maybe even your food (Soups, broth, Jello, yogurt, etc.)

On my second container of GENEPRO right now. Have been trying to add it to at least two meals a day (so that's 60g Protein right there). I love the consistency and lack of flavor. It actually makes greek yogurt taste a little better, IMO. The weight loss stall might be moving. Down a couple lbs. Will keep you guys posted, I have to figure out something to not be complacent and get this moving again.

Unflavored protein (try plain soy if lactose intolerant) added to soup or broth. Nut butter for a snack. When you make egg salad instead of mayo use half plain Greek yogurt and half mayo. It taste the same but boost your protein

Flax powder, wheat germ or psyllium powder can be added to a protein shake or yogurt

Questions- I am 10 days post op and am having the worst time getting my protein shakes down. Like almost gag worthy status. I am doing yogurt, even though that's really a minuscule amount. Any suggestions? Also has anyone experienced an awful taste in their mouth? It's so awful and combined with the protein shakes it's 10x's worse, is this normal?

I mix the following ingredients in a shaker bottle and drink half before and the rest after my walk: Premier Ptotein shake: 30 gms protein 1 5 oz container of greek yogurt: 13 gms 1/2 scoop of vanilla flavored protein powder: 15 gms Total: 58 gms Protein/ 14 oz fluids

I did some research on which brands are the best (found a couple of independent labs that do that sort of stuff) settled on the #3 rated one across multiple tests, ordered from Amazon, talked to NUT and she was like, WHOA there, bring it with you next Wednesday for your one month and we'll discuss it. She said I usually don't allow supplements until the 2 month checkup. I retorted, um, not to be disrespectful but you do realize what is in all this yogurt I eat.... daily.... Probiotics. She said we'll talk about it. So one more week of unpredictable ass, at least. It's actually been pretty good for the last couple days. No Volcano Ass to speak of, had a few emergency runs, but it was gas, and had it not my hallway outside the bathroom would look and smell quite different now.

yeah.... my program has us off of caffeine, alcohol, carbonated beverages, using straws, chewing gum, specific veggies (like corn and celery), yogurt, rice/pasta/oatmeal and discourages specific fruits (like watermelon, grapes and pineapple). They also highly discourage drinking calories, including Protein shakes... something that lots of programs highly suggest. Thats from orientation day out. After surgery we are supposed to do protein first, followed by veggies and, if there is room we can add a whole grain complex carb from a specific list and then fruit (suggested start with apples for lower sugar content). Every program is different...

I don't see why it would be a problem. Just watch the carb count. I regularly put Kefir (liquid yogurt) in my Protein shakes to help with the taste. Plus it adds more protein and keeps me regular.

I bet your are!! Not much longer for you now! I am not on meat yet, but I can tolerate a small amount of veggies in Soup or roasted. I really like Beans, eggs, and light and fit Greek yogurt right now! Yum!