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Good Morning! It's Monday and feels like a clean slate. I'm gonna do an egg for Breakfast, yogurt I with granola for lunch, a little one pot spaghetti for dinner. I'll get in my Water, as usual. My struggle hasn't been how much I eat at one meal, but eating around the band by snacking in between and too much baking of sweets. I'll not bake or snack today. I'll take a walk through the neighborhood tonight. We've been walking and that's a challenge since it's SO hilly in our new neighborhood. It's a great workout by the time we do our two miles. I still want to get back to three miles a day, but it's gonna take time and endurance with the hills. What's your plan for today?

All of the above. Plus eggs. And in limited amounts cheese, nuts, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese.

How many grams of sugar/carbs was in the yogurt?

I was suppose to wait until day 14 to begin soft foods but I just couldn't wait any longer. My head hunger was horrible so I had my first soft food on Friday 10 days post op and it felt like heaven. I never thought cottage cheese would taste so damn good!! I'm now eating creamy soups, baby food (fruits) and I ate my first yogurt this morning. So far my tummy is behaving. It will get better...absolutely!!

I'm 11 days out and on puréed foods . I'm not sure what I experienced but it was horrible! At the night I had refried beans with cheese and felt it had to much cheese so stopped eating them. In the Morning I had 1/4th of light Greek yogurt (strawberry) and only water after. Around 1:30 I had horrible cramps had to go #2 it wasn't diarrhea at first but I got the shakes started sweating and breathing hard. Then finally came the diarrhea (tmi sorry) the other things lasted another 3 mns or do then I was fine . Anyone know what could of caused it? I'm thinking the yogurt although I've ate it before with no prob .

DAD'S SPICY CHICKEN CURRY Makes 8 servings Prep Time: 25 minutes Cooking Time: 6-8 hours Ideal Slow Cooker Size: 4 or 5 quart INGREDIENTS 4lbs chicken pieces with bones, trimmed of skin and fat Water 2 medium onions, diced 10-oz. pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt 2-3 diced red potatoes 1 tsp salt 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp pepper 1 tsp ground cloves 1 tsp ground cardamom 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp red pepper flakes 1/2 tsp chili powder 3 tsp turmeric INSTRUCTIONS 1. Place chicken in large slow cooker. Cover with water 2. Cover. Cook on high 2 hours or until tender. 3. Drain chicken. Remove from slow cooker. Cool briefly and cut/shred into small pieces. Return to slow cooker. 4. Add remaining ingredients 5. Cover. Cook on low 4-6 hours or until potatoes are tender. Note: Serve on rice. Accompany with fresh mango slices or mango chutney. Variation: Substitute 5 tsp curry powder for the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, and pepper. Exchange List Values Carbohydrate 1.0 meat, lean 3.0 Basic Nutritional Values Calories - 221 Cholesterol - 67mg Calories from fat - 56 Sodium - 402mg Total fat - 6g Total carbs - 16g Saturated fat - 1.8g Dietary Fiber - 3g Polyunsaturated fat - 1.4g Sugars - 4g Monounsaturated fat - 2.1g Protein - 25g

Sample a variety. Think about if RTD or powdered better fits into your lifestyle and pocketbook. I was using almond milk, but stopped since it was too low of a Protein payoff for the carbs it contains. I already had a nutra bullet because I drink Protein shakes pre-gym. That may not be an expense you want to make if you won't use it after the early post-op stages. Popular brands are Premier Protein, unjury, GENEPRO, Isopure and Syntrax nectar. However there are a zillion other brands out there. Make sure you speak to your nutritionist about what they recommend. Mine wanted me to make sure that the one I chose either had whey or soy isolates since that is the most concentrated form of protein. She said to make sure to not get concentrates. She also gave me guidelines as to nutrition levels per serving. I think it was at least 15 gms Proteins, and no more than 6 gms of sugar. I would have to double check my binder to be sure. I found I needed some unflavored protein as the constant sweet of the drinks was too much for me after a week. Being able to have vegetable broth or non chunky Soup with a scoop of unflavored protein was a welcome break. I also liked the Isopure teas because I needed something non milk based. Save all receipts. Most stores will accept unused portions if you decide you do not like them. Since people are sharing, here's my iced coffee/mock frap/mock coolata recipe. I buy a med Dunkin Donuts coffee with cream. Cool then pour into ice cube trays. 1 scoop of CVS chocolate whey ¼ - ½ cup of FAGE 0% plain greek yogurt depending on taste 4 - 6 ice cubes (a traditional ice cube is ~ 1 ounce) just enough Water to blend. Throw the whole thing in the nutra bullet. Based on 6 cubes and ½ cup of yogurt your totals are: 242 calories 14 carbs 4 fat 39 protein 111 sodium 7 sugar If you want to cut calories and carbs try ¼ cup and 4 cubes. I do this for pre-gym, drink half and drink the rest post workout for recovery. At 39 gms of protein I have now gotten in most of my protein before noon.

I like using Trader Joe's ice coffee in GNC's no sugar chocolate Protein powder. A little vanilla extract, to really kick it up a notch, half of a Oikos triple zero coconut or vanilla yogurt. Better than a Starbucks frap. 260 calories, 33g of protein.

I love the Premier Protein ready made drinks. I hated Synthrax Nectars. I also use Precision Engineered whey Protein Isolate and I really like it - both the chocolate and the vanilla. My favorite shake is Orange Crush Water Enhancer (either drops or stick of powder) mixed with vanilla Protein powder and water and ice. Farther along, I was able to add a little banana to it. Really yummy. I also will mix 1/2 scoop of vanilla powder with 1/2 container of greek yogurt (really good with key Lime or strawberry cheesecake). I have also mixed a whole scoop of chocolate powder with a sugar free fat free chocolate pudding snack. It makes it pretty runny which is helpful during liquid stage (depending on what your dr will let you having during liquid stage.) For unflavored protein, I use Doc Hale's Whey-licious. In the very beginning when I couldn't get very much down, I could mix a scoop with 4 oz (yes as little as 4 oz) of Propel Fitness berry water. it didn't taste too bad and was such a small portion that I could get it down easier (though I might take an hour to get in 4 oz that first week until swelling goes down some). Everyone's tastes are different and even things you can handle pre-op, you may not be able to handle post-op (though that hasn't happened to me). You will eventually find something you can tolerate - even if you don't love them, you can get through it.

If you are pre-op, don't attempt to follow a post-op diet. Wait and talk to your NUT about your specific needs. 800 calories is low for post-op anyway. Good sources of protein: lean meats (turkey, chicken, fish, tuna, salmon, shrimp, lean beef, pork, etc.), cheese (cottage cheese, low fat cheese, regular cheese), Greek yogurt, Beans, etc. 800 isn't low. It's entirely possible to eat in that range and be completely sated. Especially if it's good, clean food.

It's more of a challenge pre-op. You still have a full sized stomach. A typical day for me is a Protein shake for breakfastt with 1 scoop of Protein powder, ¼ - ½ a cup of FAGE 0% greek yogurt and what ever flavoring I like. Sometimes that's a tbsp of almond butter, today it was a tbsp of shredded coconut. I'm vegetarian. lunch may be a veggie burger, or a small salad with black Beans and hardboiled egg with salsa or vinegar /oil for dressing. snack is an ounce of nuts dinner is 1 cup of either lentil or vegetable Soup. Depending on my protein count at that point I may add a scoop of unflavored protein powder and a dash of sriracha sauce. In between I'm drinking Water. I'm one of the few people who get full on water. Pre-op the easiest thing to do would be to try for clean Proteins and veg. Cut out sodas and as much processed and fast foods as possible.

If you are pre-op, don't attempt to follow a post-op diet. Wait and talk to your NUT about your specific needs. 800 calories is low for post-op anyway. Good sources of protein: lean meats (turkey, chicken, fish, tuna, salmon, shrimp, lean beef, pork, etc.), cheese (cottage cheese, low fat cheese, regular cheese), Greek yogurt, Beans, etc.

Well, there are many phases post-op: Clear liquids Protein drinks Purees Soft foods Real foods Early weight loss Later weight loss Maintenance And surgeons' eating programs for their patients vary more than you would believe. Some people are on liquids for a week, others are on liquids for four weeks. It's crrrrrazy! FYI, I averaged 800 calories (and at least 60 grams of protein) for months 1-4. After the first month I ate a lot of chicken, green, red and yellow veggies, skim milk, Greek yogurt and cheeses. I gradually added some non-starchy fruit (berries, oranges, mangoes) and the occasional low-cal, high-Fiber, high-protein piece of toast. In months 5-6 I bumped up to an average daily calorie count of 1,000 and 75-80 grams of protein. Ate more of the above-listed foods and started adding whole grains (brown rice, a little more bread, quinoa). In months 7-8 I raised my daily cals to 1,200 and protein grams to 100. I was able to eat more colored veggies and ate a little more whole grains. I started drinking 4 ounces of wine at night many nights. During all this time I avoided like hell the "slider foods" -- highly processed, high-carb foods that have little nutrition value and just make you crave more of them -- foods like chips, Cookies, crackers, ice cream, cake, etc. I also never drank juices or sweetened drinks of any kind. Now that I'm on maintenance, I average 1700 calories/day -- mostly quite nutritious food (see above). But on the weekends I eat some dark chocolate, low-calorie ice cream and extra wine. But not all at the same time and moderate amounts. That's how I am making maintenance work for me. Others have other plans that work for them. I've lost 95 pounds. I reached goal (150 pounds) 8.5 pounds post-op. I'm now 10 pounds below that and holding steady.

I am 6 weeks post surgery and I have NO appetite at all. I find it very hard to eat anything. I can get down a few Soups that are broth, a tiny bit of yogurt and that's about it. I do force myself to drink my Protein, so I am doing that. Is this normal? It seems that everything I used to like, I can' t even think about eating anymore.

All good choices! Check out Eggface's blog and her protein cakes! I make them and slices are the perfect Breakfast or "cookie" type treat! I also do low carb mini cheesecakes and everyone loves them at family events and they don't even know they are healthy! I do take issue with the "scarfing down yogurt which is full of sugar" comment. Yogurt with no sugar added does still contain sugar, but it's lactose/milk sugar which is HUGELY different in the way it acts in the body. And Greek yogurt sill has way more protein than it does sugar (again it's all milk sugar/lactose). So Greek yogurt with no sugar added is a good choice. And you can disagree, that's all good, but please don't use words like "scarfing down" which gave huge negative connotations. I eat a lot of Greek yogurt with no sugar added, but I have never "scarfed it down"

Before you consider reducing your use of shakes, I suggest keeping a journal of all of the food you eat (even if only a small taste) and the quantities, so you can calculate exactly how much Protein you are eating. If you truly are getting 75-95g of protein or more, then you can probably reduce your use of protein shakes as @@Veronica_mm said if you are able to maintain your 50g of protein a day with other foods. I would also caution you that very soon now, when you reach the solid foods stage, you are going to have to stop the "nibbling". Grazing (as @@James Marusek can tell you from a recent study he was talking about) is a major cause of weight gain, and that goes especially for WLS patients. When you are on liquids and purees, eating small portions constantly is fine, and even necessary to get in your minimum protein because the pouch is so small, but when you are getting into real foods, you should be moving towards discrete meals with nothing but Water or water substitutes (Powerade Zero, Crystal light, etc.) in between. Also, it's important to know what you are grazing on. Are you grazing on yogurt, cottage cheese, tuna or other high-protien foods? Ok. Are you grazing on whole fruit and veggies? Not as good, but still probably ok. Are you grazing on canned fruit, crackers, nuts or other foods with lots of carbs or fat? Probably not good. Finally, if your grazing is due to real hunger, not just "head hunger", then you might want to try adding a bit more protein to your normal meals. Protein should keep your hunger down longer. However, if you are not really hungry, but just satisfying a craving, then you may want to think up of some things to get your mind off of it, or possibly see a therapist to work on that. If not dealt with, the head hunger can really derail your success.

You can make your own low carb Cookies and you can make or buy low carb high Fiber bread. You don't have to give those things up forever. You do however have to have some self control. People on this board will tell you not to eat cookies and other things while they are snarfing down yogurt that is full of sugar. These are my favorite Snacks right now. http://www.eatmeguiltfree.com/ They taste just good enough to seem like a brownie, but not good enough to be a brownie, no triggers. They are just a good tasting Protein product, better than a Quest bar. A cookie recipe http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2013/03/lemon-almond-shortbread-cookies-low-carb-gluten-free.html Also search for low carb mug cakes. Just remember just because something it low carb, you still need to track all of your calories and watch your portions. The bread is harder, there are lots of low carb bread recipes out there, and there are also low carb breads you can purchase. You can get healthy life at most grocery stores in the midwest for $1.99-2.99 a loaf, not sure about the rest of the country. One slice has 6 net carbs. http://www.healthylifebread.com/ Or you can order bread http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_dp_s_web_0?ie=UTF8&search-alias=aps&field-keywords=Great+Low+Carb+Bread+Co. Which as you see is expensive and should probably just be treat level. You can have a lot of sandwiches on lettuce leafs, you can order from Jimmy Johns like that. Don't let yourself feel deprived, because that can lead to making a lot of bad choices or binge eating. Just learn how to make good options yourself at home. Low Carb cheesecake is another great option. I drink Water at the movies. After surgery it is a great time to just sit and chug a bottle of water with no interruptions. I never ate at the movies before anyway, we always went right after a meal and were already full. We go almost weekly, if you add in movie snacks it makes it too expensive.

so the idea is the protein that's it ! i don;t get the 60 per day i now can't handle shakes or even yogurt with high protein i also don't eat Breakfast i only eat once a day i don't want to eat more i even can't handle more than once i so pissed of since the surgery which was on the 27th of july i lost 37 pounds i am so mad of myself don't know what to do You can't possibly do well post-op if you only eat once a day. That is a recipe for disaster. You have to eat breakfast. Even if you don't want to eat you just have to do it. The way I understand my surgeon's instructions, you should consume no more than 20-25 grams of protein at a time. So for me, that means I need to eat at least four to five times a day to reach 100 grams. That can be 3 meals and 2 Snacks.

Nuts, beef jerky, cheese, yogurts, slices of avacado wrapped in deli sliced meats like turkey that's yum, beans with cheese melted, carnations instant breakfast shakes. This is what I live on at the moment.

Glad to hear you are feeling better. I'm worried too. Hair is important! But I am having pain with eating my yogurt and drinking protein shakes. My doctors recommended I go back to clears for 24 hours then try again. At least I'm not wanting real food cause I am terrified at the pain I might have. I am a little bummed because I am going to work for half days starting Monday. I am getting a little dizzy with too much activity. I need a few calories!

Have you tried the peanut butter powder? I'm going to try it to make smoothies with greek yogurt. Just thinking about drinking another protein drink makes me want to gag LOL. I found out string cheese has 9g of protein yea me

I've added it to egg salad, scrambled eggs, and yogurt. With eggs I use less, no more than half a scoop, sometimes only a quarter scoop. I've also added it to spaghetti sauce.

It's a matter of taste. I like it and add it to pretty much everything. Soups, tea, my yogurt, etc.... If you don't like Ispoure Genepro and Syntrax Nectar also make and unflavored version. Remember unflavored doesn't mean flavorless, it just means there's no added flavorings or sugars. Adding stronger flavors to it helps. I add a dash of hot sauce to my soups or a bit of lemon to my tea.

I have found that post-op, any of those things make me sick. Anything heavy or doughy sits in my new tummy like a brick and I regret it for hours. The other issue I have with starchy and wheat products is that any time I eat it, I have gained weight overnight and then it takes a long time to get it back off. Also, the carbs are not worth it. At almost two years out, I am still at 1,000 calories a day. It is hard for me to get complete nutrition if I eat 150 calories of potato chips with 1/2 tuna salad sandwich on sourdough bread. I am better off eating tuna salad and sliced cucumbers and using those calories for fresh fruit. All of those things you mentioned tickle the tastebuds, but my tastebuds are no longer in charge. Miss Tummy is the boss of me forever. There is a category of foods called "slider foods" that throw us off track so quickly. Over time you will experiment and learn what your personal sliders will be. Mine are ice cream and potato chips. I can eat them mindlessly before realizing how much I have eaten, so I just don't eat them. You will find your balance, but take it from a veteran, you are walking into a dark woods and can get lost from your focus on health and a better quality of life. These things you mentioned should go on your "rare treat" list. With Thanksgiving coming up, I suggest that you will do fine with turkey and veggies and deviled eggs. Besides, you can only eat so much without it coming back up to haunt you. My new substitute for pumpkin pie is a custard I made with canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) and ricotta mixed with yogurt. I added a little sweetener and some pumpkin pie spice. I even threw in some pumpkin spice whey Protein. I spooned it into muffin tins and froze them. Now if I feeling like something desserty, I grab a pumpkin pod and thaw it out. I have even blended them with milk and a little extra Protein powder for a shake. I was told to not even try bread until three months out. So, I waited but found out the pain and discomfort were not worth it. I wish you the best of recovery. Listen to your tummy, not your taste buds. food is only fuel for the human container that the essence of you lives in. Just as you would not put Pepsi in your car's gas tank, you will learn that you feel much better and have more energy and a better attitude when you put foods with nutritional value in your body. Here is what helps me when I feel like stepping back into old ways. I think of foods made in a factory as "edible crap". I think of the drive-throughs as McPoison, Poison King, Poison Bell, etc. Just be careful. I wish you the best.