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Thanks Starwarsandcupcakes, interesting that I am attempting to eat my first yogurt right now. I tried a bariatric shake with fat free Lactaid free milk and nope not good. Hope this yogurt settles nicely. Please accept this yogurt o sleeve of mine, and pass to your friend the small intestine slowly!

I’m not sure how long you’re on clear liquids for (I left the hospital on full liquids) but if they haven’t really given you nutrition advice and are blowing you off the full liquids might help- milk, yogurt, creamy soup bases, … anything that when left at room temperature becomes liquid. The yogurt might help with the probiotics it offers in making your stomach/intestinal issues calm down. Hopefully you’re feeling better soon.

I make minimal use of shakes, because I also find them cloyingly sweet. One alternative with a good protein count is to take one cup of Chobani Less Sugar Greek yogurt (any flavor, 12g) and mix it with 8oz Fairlife 1% milk (13g). I put it in an insulated shaker cup (with a whisk ball to blend it smooth) and enjoy it while it's still cold/cool. If you let it get warm it is not as pleasant to drink. For me, tepid and thick does not want to go down.

My 5 year old left me holding his vanilla frozen yogurt while he played at the kids play area at the mall. I took one tiny taste, and it disgusted me, it was way too sweet. I'm only 7 weeks out. I haven't had cravings for anything sweet or junky. My cravings are for things like an egg, or filet mignon, lol. Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

Fruit juice is a no-no for ever more. It is liquid sugar. Use whole fruit and berries in your protein shakes. Whole fruits and berries contain fiber which helps metabolize carbohydrates. Using them eliminates the need for sugar and sugar substitutes. Once you are weaned off sugar and sugar substitutes, fruit will taste remarkably sweet! There are recipes for home-made protein drinks online and in bariatric cookbooks. Here is one from The Bariatric Diet Guide and Cookbook, called "The Elvis": It makes 12 oz. You will only be able to drink about 1 oz at a time at first. If you don't drink it all in one day, you can save it for the next. I like variety, so I would switch it with other flavors. 12 oz contains 31g protein, but you can add unflavored protein powder. One scoop of Genepro unflavored protein powder would add 30 g protein. 1/2 C plain Greek no-fat yogurt 1 large ripe banana 1/2 C ice 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 C natural creamy peanut butter 1 small handful baby spinach Optional: 1 scoop unflavored protein powder In a high-speed blender, combine all ingredients. Blend for 2 to 5 minutes until smooth) NOTE: Be sure to use an all-natural peanut butter that contains only Peanuts and salt in the ingredients. The High Protein Bariatric Cookbook says: "The basics of a protein shake include about 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt, or 1 cup milk mixed with 1 tablespoon protein powder and either 1/2 cup frozen fruit or 1 tablespoon nut butter. Then for flavor ad about 1 teaspoon of extract, cocoa powder, and/or flavored sugar-free syrup or low- to no-calorie sweetener. ...If you make your own protein shakes, the flavor profiles are limitless, and you will know the ingredients going into them. Then, when you have symptoms, it will e easier to identify what the possible cause may be. However, there may be times when a prepackaged protein shake will be more convenient, so do what works for you and hooks you stuck ti tier nutrition goals." The Lifebridge Health website contains about 30 protein shake recipes. Google "make bariatric protein shakes" to find many more recipes. Your protein shakes count toward your daily fluid intake. During the first few weeks of recovery fluid intake is your most important priority. Consume protein as you can. "You MUST get your fluids in. You SHOULD meet your protein goals. If you CAN, take your vitamins." Matthew Weiner, MD, The Bariatric Diet Guide and Cookbook.

Hello Lady Godiva, To try and answer your question, I believe blood tests will tell if your liver is small and non fatty. I think this is what they are after. So leaving off fatty carbs and sugar should get you there If my surgery date doesn't move back again, early next month, I will begin 3 weeks of skim Milk, non carby vegetables, 1 yogurt and two pieces of fruit a day[ any fruit] . Thankfully I can have coffee with caffeine too. I am worried about the length of time that I need do this but I want this surgery over and done with so badly I would probably do longer

I'm one month out. I'm not someone who can follow a "meal plan". I don't want to decide at the beginning of the day what I'll be eating at each meal; I need to have a choice or life feels deadly dull. That being said, I will cook something a few times a week (right now it's some sort of ground meat or bean-based dish with a spicy sauce eaten with fat free greek yogurt) and then alternate among the ones I've cooked. I portion them out into 5-6 or more servings in small plastic containers and freeze some so I don't get sick of what I've made or it doesn't go bad too soon. I'll eat them three times a day, breakfast lunch and dinner, except I will occasionally make egg product with cheese for breakfast. I would say at most I spent about 40 minutes a day on all three meals, and many days it's less than 10 minutes. Of course, I live alone and don't have to feed anyone else. I do spend some time looking at recipes, but I'll usually do this when as a form of inspiration, mostly it's things I can't have. Most people's ideas of what a post-surgery patient can have seems very bland to me and I wouldn't eat it, so I don't look at bariatric meal ideas - I go to real cooking sites and figure out how to adapt "normal" recipes. My job involves a lot of traveling so my next task will be to figure out how to eat better on the road.

I agree with everything people here are saying. You are losing very quickly, and stalls of 1-3 or more weeks are common. I would be concerned that you're not getting enough protein/nutrients to be walking 10km a day. Also, try ground chicken or turkey instead of pieces of chicken. Dal would be good, and any other beans/chickpeas work well for me. Also try paneer, and low sugar yogurt. These would increase your protein. I'm only a month out and I'm eating about a half cup (about the size of my fist, don't know grams) at times, sometimes less. I eat a lot of beans, ground turkey and chicken with greek yogurt and spices, and cheese. The only thing I've thrown up so far is chicken breast that was pretty dry. Good luck!

I am a person who always wants to know the "why" behind a rule (unfortunately!). So, as I've slowly been progressing through my surgeon's plan (still on pureeds for two more weeks, and I'm 7 weeks out), I've started wondering if we will always have to drink protein shakes. I hate them, they taste gross, and the ingredients list is like 5 paragraphs long full of things I can't even say - besides that, they're full of carbs and often high calorie. And if we do have to always drink them, why? Why can't we meet our protein goals through eating real food? For example, an egg and a morningstar breakfast sausage patty is 16 grams of protein and 150 calories. The protein shake I drink is almost 300 calories (bariatric advantage with PB2 over a plant based milk). Also, bone broth, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, tuna are all high protein, low calorie options that taste way better than protein shakes. If a person is able to meet protein goals and still stay around 600 calories a day during weight loss phase, why the shakes? (I don't know if that's feasible, I haven't tried it - I am still drinking the nasty protein). So, I posted the question to the online support group my surgeon keeps on Facebook. I asked if a person can meet their daily protein goal through real food, are protein shakes still required. Man! You would have thought I asked if I could eat a full meat lovers pizza from Papa John's! People launched on me, accused me of eating too much food, told me if I wanted to lose weight and maintain it I HAD to drink protein shakes for life. Then the surgeon came on and publicly shamed me, said I was way off track and wasn't following the plan. What bomb did I set off??? And nobody ever explained WHY the shakes are required??? The previous time before this when I asked a question, almost the same thing happened. I asked if I could drink the Unjury ready made shakes instead of the powder because they taste so much better. People berated me, and told me the ready made shakes were not good for me. Then the surgeon chimed in and said the ready made were not as good because they are protein caseinate instead of whey isolate. Um, the packaging clearly says the Unjury brand is whey protein isolate. So now why are they bad for me? The next day, my surgeon posted a long post about people having this surgery and not taking it seriously. I can't help but think it was in response to my question about protein shakes. I didn't even have Facebook, I deleted it in 2016 when things started to get so nasty online. I only started using it again to join my surgeon's group. I cancelled following the page. I was really ticked off at the responses. I'm so angry I don't even want to continue with my surgeon's office. AND, by the way, I am not way off track, I've lost 41 lbs. in these last 7 weeks, and I'm really happy with that. Started at 235, now 194 (and have been losing about 1 lb a day for the last few days). I know I'm being a baby, I think I just needed to vent. I do like my surgeon when we meet one on one for appointments. Facebook is evil. Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

I admit: I over prepared and then didn’t really use a lot of what I prepped. lol im five months or so out from surgery now and I tend to go really simple with my “meals”. No prep needed. morning: coffee and egg lunch: P3 pack and greek yogurt (bought from the store it’s like a $2 meal haha) dinner: chicken they told me to push protein first. By the time I’m done with protein I have no desire for any sides. My protein count is a tad different than most people’s…. My kidneys have issues filtering high protein diets so they told me 60 grams MAX post surgery and to keep it between 50-60 a day long term. If I eat two skinless chicken wings? I’m done and full. I really don’t eat very much at all. I also have no desire to eat like I did. I measure nothing right now because my portions are still so tiny. That may change if I end up able to eat more but for now I just stick to the same thing every day. Food is really boring for me these days lol

I’ve always loved soup so I make it a few times a month (even pre surgery I loved soup!). And I keep in the fridge and usually end up eating it for a meal a day while I have it. Meals don’t have to be hard after surgery- yogurt, curries, eggs, roasted meats in light gravies, and smoothies are all staples in my diet. If I make a roast on Sunday I can use it for different things trough the week. One cook and meals for a week with the only though being do I want a burrito bowl or have it with gravy and a veggie mash. It all depends on how much you do or don’t want to do.

I am going to be 5 weeks out when I have my first flight - it's only going to be 6 hours, but still long enough. I plan to buy a protein drink at the airport (I know already where they sell the kind that works). If you can look at the airport restaurants and find where they might sell a tuna fish sandwich or tacos or refried beans or bean soup, those might be your best bets. Obviously, just eat the tuna or deli meat or taco meat, not the carbs they come stuffed in or any veggies. You can also look for hummus or string cheese or hard boiled eggs at the little stores (I almost always find these). You can probably also find yogurt, but it may not be low sugar. You might be able to get a doctor's note to allow you to bring some more liquidy food through security; talk to your surgeon. Also, you can bring powdered protein through, but for best bets, have it in small amounts. You can then buy milk or mix with water. As others have said, get up to walk every hour that you are awake. This would be the time to pay extra for an aisle seat. Is this a direct flight or do you have a connection? Be aware that your core muscles will likely be very weak so you may want to check as much of your luggage as possible or ask someone (not the flight attendant; another passenger) for help putting up your bags. I say don't ask a flight attendant as they generally are not permitted to assist, and it puts them in a bad spot, since if they get injured doing a favor, they don't get worker's comp depending on the situation.

Carp. I'm 4 weeks out and I'm already at 600-700 calories a day and still hungry all the time. I have half a protein shake mixed with 10 oz decaf iced coffee for a start, then 150-250 calorie meal portions of eggs, beans, ground meat, ricotta bake, that are all low carb and medium fat, then a different one of those for lunch, then a snack of a protein shake or light and fit (80 calorie) Greek yogurt for a snack, and the same portion of whatever food for dinner. Last night I added sugar free hot cocoa made with high protein 1% milk because I couldn't take being hungry and I was also cold. I am drinking over 70 oz of liquid and protein is over 60g a day.

I mix greek yogurt with FF cool whip and freeze it- .

That sounds really challenging. What about bean based dishes? They won't smell bad heating up. I have been living off them right now, as it's the only thing that has been tasting good. Or, Greek yogurt or soup with protein powder? Good luck!

I work 12 hr shifts so I have to plan for the whole day. My plan was pretty routine at first. I drink a protein shake on the way to work. My next meal is yogurt with a few blueberries or strawberries. My favorite yogurt is Fage plain greek with one tablespoon (or less) of sugar free, fat free jello pudding powder (white chocolate or cheesecake are my faves) and one packet of truvia per serving. My next meal is the prepackaged flavored tuna mixed with a little fat free mayo and eaten on Crunchmaster crackers, usually about 5. Initially I could not finish all of this at each meal but now I can. Early on my snacks were things that I could eat quick like cheese sticks or beef sticks...things I could carry in my pocket. Now my snacks are those things still but I've added bananas and peanut butter crackers or slices of lunchmeat. Now that I'm 3 yrs out, I don't necessarily have the tuna as much. Often it's left overs from a restaurant I went to or something I cooked on my days off. I work 3 days a week so those 3 days my food plan is easy. I make sure to have variety on my nonwork days.

Thank you for the support on this site. I’ve learned so much! I’m nervous about this liquid diet but I have my shakes soups and yogurt ready to go eeeek! 😬👍

I'm going through a version of this with my "better half"--he was originally planning to have the same surgery after we get married next year and he can be on my much-better insurance. After seeing what I've gone through the last 3 weeks, he has decided it's not for him. He is 6' tall and about 290, and even after me losing 32 pounds already my BMI is still 2 points higher than his. He has a LOT less weight to lose to be comfortable with himself (he has a very broad build and quite a bit of muscle, and feels he would look best around 230) than I do, and I keep telling him that once my diet expands to a point where I can cook for both of us again, the weight will likely come off on its own because of the reduced portion sizes. I've been cranky a lot lately because I can't seem to get anything down--I'm on week 2 of purees and I am so sick of yogurt and shakes, and try as I might unless I'm really forcing myself to eat I seem to keep ending up falling short of my protein goals and am eating way too few calories. He's been very patient with me but anyone would be frustrated by that.

RNY April of 2012, so that makes 9+ years out. My surgeon no longer practices bariatric surgery and most likely isn't even in my state any longer. I have had to make due with visits to hematologists, psychologists, primary care docs and more recently, went to a different WLS center for a consult and also to an endocrinologist to address the weight creep up that has taken years to put on--really can't blame the Covid, but rather letting a combo of sloppy habits and less intense exercise run the course to the expected outcome: the dreaded regain. To complicate matters, I have been so exhausted that I have been trying to get to the bottom of that as well. Ruled out anemia (I have had to get iron infusions three times), ruled out thyroid (although I do take NP thyroid and the endo upped the dosage a little bit), and while menopause is a factor, I got on bioidentical hormones to try and feel better. Somewhere in the middle of this, I had the brilliant idea that perhaps I should wean myself off antidepressants because they might have contributed to the weight gain as well. Uh. This is not the year to get off antidepressants, being all stressed out at work with all the students back to in-person learning and no clear direction about how to distance kids who seem determined to sit on top of one another, etc. After the new bariatric consult, where I was basically told that because I had open gastric bypass and then had incisional hernia repair and fleur de lis abdominoplasty, my insides are too messy to do any kind of revision, with the adhesions and all. But what I NEEDED to hear was what I have been doing: back to basics. Push that protein--90 grams. Watch the carbs and fat. Exercise. And eat less calories. 1200-1400. Since that visit I have tracked my intake on MFP and gave myself one day a week to have a higher calorie day and some kind of splurge. The rest of the week I do two very high protein meal replacement shakes, a Greek yogurt, a couple of hard boiled eggs and something small but proteiny and veg for dinner. I have to say, keeping it boring has kept the appetite at bay. And so far, so good. Nearly back to Onderland again, and I plan on keeping going until I get back to my lowest weight, which hilariously still has me in the overweight category according to the BMI. In addition, since not crawling into bed as soon as I get home is one of my major goals, I went back on the antidepressant, at a little higher dosage after explaining my symptoms of exhaustion. All this to say that the work is never done and I wouldn't have it any other way! This is my first post and I figured I would just throw it all out there and include the juice, since that is what it is all about for me and I have been very much enjoying reading all the posts here. Didn't want to be a freeloader with nothing to contribute

Peanut butter protein yogurt. I am not a fan of yogurt, but every so often I buy it. I found a vanilla keto yogurt. It’s the consistency you of the Greek yogurts. I decided to try mixing it with peanut butter protein powder! It’s sooo good and helps with protein intake. It tastes like a dessert!

I’ve tried researching this myself but so much of the advice assumes you’re “cheating” and dealing with dumping syndrome. Has anyone else experienced EXTREME dizziness, flushing or cold sweats, and nausea right after eating a few bites or small meal? I’m 22 days post-op and for the last week or so I’ll have these absolutely horrible bouts right after I start or finish eating. It’s not after every meal and it seems totally unrelated to sugar/carbs/protein/fiber or any other obvious nutritional element. Half an hour ago I got two bites into one of those often recommended ricotta bakes and it hit me. At lunch today I had a tiny serving of mashed avocado and hummus and it happened within like 2 minutes of finishing. It happened after a coconut milk based yogurt for breakfast on Monday. This isn’t happening any other time - it’s right after some but not all foods but there isn’t an obvious pattern to what foods or times of day. That makes me think it’s also not dehydration because you’d think that would impact me other times, right? It shouldn’t just be when something hits my stomach? I’d be concerned about a leak but I don’t have a fever or swelling or pain in the area either. I’m stumped!

It's so frustrating to have something that you have eaten successfully in the past suddenly "revolt." Ironically, I had a similar experience yesterday. I ate a meal I have had multiple times in the past weeks. I did not eat too much, too fast or any of the other usual culprits. I woke up about 5 hours later and I could have sworn the monster from "Alien" was trying to escape my stomach. Like yours, the pain was in the middle of my abdomen. My stomach was gurgling horribly and I felt both nauseated and as if I needed to use the bathroom. I was not successful on either end. The pain lasted about an hour and then I was able to go back to sleep. I feel fine today but have limited eating to a few fresh berries, a shake and yogurt. I had no more pain, but there was more noises.

Oddly, i didn't have that problem my first year (I had surgery in the summer of 2015). I was so excited about my weight loss and so gung-ho about following my program that I didn't want any of that stuff. I remember on that first Thanksgiving post-op I had some turkey with gravy, about 2 T of sweet potato casserole, some vegetables - and a thing of pumpkin-flavored yogurt for dessert. I was fine with that (can't remember what I had on Christmas, but I was really good at staying away from the "goodies"). Subsequent years I've caved more - but I just try not to overdo it. One cookie. A small piece of cake. I'm not a big candy fan, so that one was easy. So I do allow myself treats on those holidays - but I just have small portions on the holiday itself and don't keep them around my house the whole season - too tempting.

I didn't like the protein water either. It felt really chalky and sucked all the water out of my mouth. What are you able to eat/drink now? My surgery was 13Sep too and I'm eating soft foods now. I had taco meat with a tiny bit of cheese and some FF greek yogurt for dinner last night. It was delicious!

Gas stations now have protein shakes, boiled eggs, yogurt and nuts. These will help in a pinch. You’ll do great, just use the bathroom as often as you can (don’t wait or hold it) Congrats on the move ❤️