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I am a month out now and I am happy I dropped 18 pounds but now it seems I am on a stall already. I am still not making protein or fluid requirements. I never drank 100 oz. A day of water in my life. I am so full I can’t seem to reach this 70 - 80 of protein. I am on foods well chewed now. I feel like every 21/2 hours drink then wait eat then wit drink shake. Nothing to drink a hour after you eat. There are not enough hours in the day! Ia week after my surgery I got Covid and my age it wasn’t easy. I am still out of sorts. Doc checked me and I’m ok. I need to do better. I just started walks and some bicycle. I am hoping my stamina gets better. If anyone has any tricks they do about how to manage better with foods, I would appreciate if you can share! Thanks so much!

Yes, my daughters were of differing opinions about the chicken sausage. I put it in for the extra protein and the older one loved it, but the younger one thinks it would be much better without. I think I may agree with her, as the precooked chicken sausages have an odd texture, although the spicy flavor was nice. I wonder if there's a way to get that extra kick in another way.

I've been making a smoothie most mornings with frozen fruit, spinach, and unflavored protein powder. I was having that most mornings before surgery, so I've just tailored it to be a little thinner now with water or milk, and I seem to tolerate it well. I've done well with eggs of every variety, and also smoked salmon, which is so delicious. I can generally eat 2 eggs or 2oz of the smoked salmon. Cheddar cheese is good, as is cottage cheese with peaches. Oh, I also adore edamame! They have it shelled and lightly salted in the produce section of my grocery store in a small tub and it is so pleasant to eat, kind of snack-like, I guess. Tuna salad has been nice, too. I've done okay with ground turkey and chicken, but it's not as appealing right now, although I do like a turkey sausage breakfast patty. I made a ricotta bake that was really good. I mixed 8oz ricotta, an egg, and some chopped spinach (thawed from frozen with water pressed out), and spread it into an 8x8 baking dish, topped with some diced Italian chicken sausage, then covered in marinara (look for one with no added sugar), sprinkled with mozzarella, and baked for about 20-25 minutes until the cheese was a bit browned. Like a lasagna without the heavy noodles. I wouldn't be able to hit 90g without significant use of protein shakes, which I also can't stand because of the artificially sweet flavor. But maybe you can try making some soup, like a pureed bean or carrot ginger, and add unflavored protein to it? I plan to try that next week for variety.

Oh my gosh!! The foamies! One of my friends thought I was crazy when k said I was foaming then started vomiting. My starting weight was 210lbs and my b/p was out of control. As of now I’m still on b/p meds but when I went in last week it was lower than it had been in over a year. I had the pre-op diet and dropped down 10lbs. When I came out of surgery I was puffy and weighed 203 again. Right now I am at 189lbs which has been the lowest number I’ve seen in years. I was told to get 64oz of water and 90 grams of protein a day yes 90! I’m struggling with it. The water intake I’ve done well except one day and nausea hit me soooooo fast. The protein has been hard for me. Sweets nauseate me and it seems most protein shakes and stuff are sweet. It is so nice to have someone experiencing the same things so I don’t feel so alone. I would love to hear where you’re finding the easiest protein sources? I think at most I hit 60-70 grams and that’s not every day. It’s a work in progress and definitely hit and miss.

I am almost two and a half years post sleeve. At your stage I was eating around 800 calories I think, but if I've learned anything it's that we're all totally different! Well into maintenance, my typical day is: Breakfast: full cream milk latte. I have never eaten breakfast at breakfast time and never will. Mid morning: one or two fried or scrambled eggs, depending on how hungry I am. Generally one. Lunch: a salad with some protein (last night's dinner meat, tinned tuna or deli meat - sometimes cheese). Or more often soup - usually homemade and usually with either chicken or pulses for protein. Or occasionally, if I'm feeling really lazy and can take the sugar hit, 100g tinned baked beans with cheese and hot sauce. Snacks, probably three a day at this point: cheese (and usually a couple of crackers with that); 150mls [approx] full cream milk kefir or a kefir yoghurt; nuts (30g approx); seeds (20g probably); deli meat; fruit (I eat at least one portion of berries or an apple every day). I tend to keep lots of meat snacks in the fridge as they're filling and help me reach my protein goal. Dinner: whatever I've cooked for everyone else but without the carb element, or just a tiny bit. Basically protein and veg - in that order. But that includes fried chicken, bolognese, casseroles, sausages, roast dinners, fish pie (no potato topping) - everything I used to eat before my sleeve. Supper: I do most of my carb intake here. Toast and butter, porridge (oatmeal to you lot) with stewed fruit, crackers with butter (or cheese if I haven't cheesed out by then). Exercise: I do a 1 hour aerobic exercise class 3 days a week. I walk between 2 and 4 miles every day and I jog about a mile once or twice a week instead of walking. I am still amazed by what my new body can do. I probably should do more. This is my diet 90% of the time. I have lots of days when I stray badly off the path and eat chips (crisps) and occasionally chocolate. I also drink wine every weekend, which I accept is totally empty calories with no nutritional value. I just track everything and try to adjust if I can. I've had a couple of regains of a few pounds now (4ish), but so far I've been able to jump on those, ditch the rubbish (carbs mainly), up my exercise and get back to 140 or thereabouts. It's no problem at all - a couple of weeks of being more vigilant about what goes into my mouth and a few runs instead of walks. I really hope I can keep doing that. I may have to accept that my set weight is higher than 140 but I am loving it here!

Hey there! Would love to hear how it's going for you! Here's where I am: My highest weight was 251 back in the summer, which is when I was referred to the surgical program. I started making changes to my eating following the Pound of Cure book by Dr. Matthew Weiner and was down to 238 on Feb 7 when I started 2 week pre-op liquid diet. I was 223 the day before surgery, so 15 lbs down in two weeks. That's compared to 13 lbs in 6 months, which is crazy, but I also know that I wasn't trying to lose weight during those months so much as make healthy choices. I didn't count calories or other macros. I just made an effort to reduce processed foods and eat a pound of vegetables most days. Whereas the liquid diet was pretty much me starving for 2 weeks. But I survived! Since surgery, it's gone a bit slower, which is in part due to the fluid shifts from surgery (according to my meeting with surgeon last week). My weight this morning, 3 weeks post-op, was 217 lbs. So, 6 lbs down since surgery. I'm healing pretty well, meeting my 60g protein goal and 64 oz water goal daily. I did have one incident of foamies / vomiting two days ago that set me back a little on food tolerance, but I think I'm doing better today. I go in to see the dietician on Monday. The first week I was getting around 400 calories per day. Last week and this week have ranged between 500-700, depending on the day and what food choices I make. I haven't really experienced anything I would call hunger. As for non-scale victories, I had to pull out one of my smaller bras yesterday that I still had from about 5 years ago! I also fit into an outfit I bought last year that I wasn't able to try on at the store and discovered was too small when I got it home. But not anymore! And I'm officially off blood pressure meds!

I made my own granola in the slow cooker, just cooking on low for a few hours using egg whites, oats, half fat butter, fruit mix, nut mix, cinnamon powder and a small bit of honey plus vanilla essence. I am now using a shop bought one. All granola is going to have carbs but that doesn't mean you avoid it, just need a good balance. The PB chicken I found here https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/peanut-butter-chicken but I substituted a bit so no oil, skinless breasts instead of thighs and I used a chunky protein peanut butter (My Protein) instead of regular shop one plus I doubled up on the chili. I just put everything in to a slow cooker and left it for 6hrs. I got 10 or 11 servings out of the recipe instead of the 4 indicated in the recipe. Actually I just rechecked MyFitnessPal where I logged it all and it works out at 211 (instead of 241) calories, 7g not 8g fat, 9g not 14g carbs and 24g not 26g protein as I had double logged the tomatoes.

You and I have similar starting numbers, HW was 297 and when I started my journey I was 270 and am 5'9. What was your original weight loss goal? I am shooting for 190 but the way that I am losing weight I think I am going to surpass that. What was your typical day in your weight loss phase? How long did it take to get there? Right now I am eating about 1000 calories, 100g of protein, 50g of carbs, 25g of fat. I am not sure if I am eating too much, the scale says I am not but I also do not want to stretch out my stomach. When did you start HIIT? I miss it so much but right now I just walk 35-55min a day (I know odd it just depends how long I can squeeze time outta my lunch break lol) Sorry for all the questions LOL

For me now I am still trying to get into a routine of what I can and cannot tolerate but it is usually; Breakfast - pot of greek yogurt, tsbp of cinnamon (good for inflammation) and a 1/2 cup of granola or oats. (approx 20g protein). At weekends I do a protein pancake with fresh fruit. (15g protein) During the morning/afternoon - coffee with a scoop of collagen powder (10g of protein in the scoop) * 2 (20g protein) Lunch - usually a soup I have made in my slow cooker, at moment red lentil, chili & carrot which is delicious. (5g to 10g protein depending on the soup) Dinner - again something homemade in my slow cooker like a beef goulash, bolognese or chicken dish. I don't usually have a side with them, as not eating enough to sacrifice stomach space for a non protein element, but I do include some veg within the cooking process so I am happy with that. A few times I have had rice with the dishes but at the most 1/2 cup each time. Sometimes I will have the same thing for lunch and dinner as I batch cook so much my freezer is overflowing. The protein amounts very from about 8g to 25g depending on the food, for example a peanut butter (protein) chicken dish I made only has 241 calories, 8g fat, 14g carbs and a whooping 26g protein. On a Friday I treat myself to a 1/4 of a frozen protein vegan pizza (11g protein). It is the one thing really that I don't prepare myself. During the day if I remember to eat I might also have a protein bar, some nuts or 2 squares of dark chocolate. I am trying to get some fruit in also but it is hard to find the stomach space and the time (considering not being able to eat 30 mins either side of a drink). On activity, I have started the One & Done 7 minute exercise program, it is just three times a week as I am a beginner. I do 45 minutes of aqua aerobics once a week so that is four active days more than I did pre-op I try to get a walk in a couple of times a week also but find it hard to be motivated to do that unless it is around the shops which is then dangerous for my wallet!

I’d worry about ensuring you’re getting in all your nutrients too. Do you track your food? It maybe an idea if only for a couple of weeks. Check your plan in regards the rice & noodles. Most plans say no to these as they are so filling, have no real nutritional value & limit your ability to consume your necessary protein. Your dietician should be able to give you ideas & recipes you can put together with your limited cooking capabilities. Otherwise google can be your friend. There are so many things you can cook using just an air fryer & microwave that will ensure you meet your protein goal & are getting in nutrient dense foods. I’m a proponent of cooking as much of your own food yourself as you can. It’s the only way you can be sure of the ingredients (including preservatives & additives) & the cooking methods. Plus means you eating low processed foods which is way healthier than takeaways & other highly or ultra princesses foods. (They’re known to change your digestive hormones to increase your hunger & decrease your satiety hormones plus the other impacts on your general health.) Plus eating the small portions you are at the moment you can get away with only cooking every couple of days. Less if you have a freezer compartment in your fridge.

Like @GreenTealael I have a routine too. It makes me comfortable about my choices & I don’t have to think too hard about what I’m going to eat, how much, am I meeting goals, & so on. Breakfast: rolled oats & milk with high protein yoghurt, mixed seeds, dried cranberries & blueberries Lunch: multi grain crackers with labneh & tomato or with liver wurst & pickled onions. Occasionally gyoza or calamari. Used to have salads with chicken or prawns but got tired of it & then was making omelettes with lots of vegetables & cheese but my tummy decided it didn’t like eggs (after 4 years 🤷🏻‍♀️). Dinner: usually pretty simple - a protein (last night was trimmed lamb cutlets with a dukkah crust, the night before chicken breast & gravy) & vegetables (green beans, sugar snap peas, asparagus, broccolini & zucchini or cauliflower). snacks: 3 of either macadamia nuts, grapes, string cheese, peanut paste, protein bar, left over breakfast or similar Activity 4 sessions of about 5 minutes (3pm, 4 pm, 5 pm & 9pm) of stretchers & resistance bands. Usually do this every day or a modified version of them. There will always be days when we eat a little more of this & a little less of that, skip a meal because of the busyness of life, etc. like @GreenTealael referred to. Same with your activity. As long as you aim to do your best most days, it all works out in the end. PS - Glad you’re back on track & feeling stronger about moving forward.

I'm transitioning to maintenance phase, so I don't have a typical day nailed down yet. But I aim for at least 80g of protein, and usually end up getting 90-100g. My activity level is quite high with at least 60 minutes of exercise or training every day. Swimming, yoga, HIIT, walking or jogging with my PupTart, dynamic stretching, PT for the hurty bits, and strength conditioning are my primary activities. All of that training allows me to go hiking, bicycling, backcountry camping, snorkeling, and SCUBA diving. I love being active and hope to keep it up for a loooong time 😁

I relied on a bottle of ProT Gold to help me meet my protein goals right after surgery. It was given to me when I was in the hospital, so I reckoned it would be fine to keep using it.

6+ years post op: I have a routine. I always starting and ending my day with a cup of tea. Everything in between depends on how hungry I am, however it is mostly liquids. For instance I didn’t eat today until 6pm because I was busy, so I won’t reach my protein goal (I usually do) but I will still easily reach hydration goal. Typical snacks are fat/carbs: nuts, cheese, fruit, cookies, chocolates Typical meals are mostly protein/carb combos: -breakfast sandwiches (egg/bread) -cold salads (egg, chicken, salmon/ vegetables/crackers) -meat and potatoes (chicken, lamb, turkey/ mashed/baked/fried) -soup

Thank you all! I've been doing one for breakfast typically as I was under in calorie goal and it had been stalling me. I've actually finally started dropping weight again. I'm typically hitting 1100-1300 now and am doing one protein shake and one to two meals consisting of a protein (steak, chicken, or eggs) and vegetables and sometimes more carbs (1/2 bagel).

Some programs can vary with this. Are you speaking of the 2 weeks prior or 2 weeks post? For mine - the 12 Day Pre-Op Diet consisted of 2 protein shakes 1 for Bkfast and 1 for Lunch and dinner was a lean protein and non starchy veg for the first 10 days. In that time I could have essentially any sugar free liquids - tea, black coffee, diet sodas, seltzer water, gatorade zero and even sugar free jello. (was only allowed 1/2 cup of skim milk at this stage).The 11th day was liquids only so protein shake, broth and all liquids above. The 12th day was clear liquids only so I subbed protein water and then broth. I did not have to do a liquid diet post op. I was released from the hospital on the pureed stage. Again every program can vary. I could not have caffeine for the first 30 days. No carbonated beverages either. I liked the Protein2O protein water, but there are other brands. (I could not stand Recovery Water) It was a nice change from the milky stuff. Sugar free popsicles are also a nice treat. Different flavor broths help to mix it up. I am not a fan of jello so that wasn't my thing. Unflavored protein I definitely tried to add to things, but I did not like the taste personally. To each their own as many people find it very helpful. I will say - do not get too attached to any particular protein shake and don't stock up on too many. What you liked prior to surgery you may not like much after. Maybe have on hand some 4 packs of different brands/flavors so that you have handy options while you are healing. Vanilla is easy to mix with other things to switch it up. Personally I love Fairlife Nutrition Plan shakes in vanilla and chocolate (warmed up it's a nice hot chocolate). Fairlife milk is also a good high protein option that you can easily add to make your own shakes. The only thing I might have done differently is make my own broths prior and freeze them. You have more control over the flavors as some packaged broth can be meh.

Yeah that's tough to determine as everyone has different programs and/or personal macro goals. It also depends on how often or how many you plan on having and maybe what the rest of your day looks like. It's pretty decent on calories and protein for what it is, the carbs even net are a bit on the high side imo. So it's more so if the carbs matter to you and how you navigate the rest of your day.

I used the same protein shakes I had pre-surgery for my 2 week diet, and I bought some protein water. I found the premixed Premier Protein were very convenient the first couple days. As time went on, I became more and more disgusted by the artificial sweetener and chemical flavor of just about every protein shake I had. Luckily my liquid phase only lasted a week. After that, I started mixing unflavored protein with milk and blending in some frozen fruit for a smoothie. Much more palatable. I have a ton of protein shake mix leftover that I will likely just throw away.

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hii kort, my surgeons had me doing the premier protein or equate high protein OR the fairlife protein drinks only, same as the pre-surg liver shrinking diet. they wanted me to *try* to get 2 shakes down a day (which got easier after the first several days). I also wanted to try protein2o which i got from amazon, it had the protein and was a water based drink. HOWEVER, i thought it was super nasty and couldn't get down more than half a bottle. Still have half the pack in my fridge. i was also allowed the sugar free popsicles but they dont have protein in them and the protein helps healing all the stuff they had to cut through and rearrange

Great advice above. Dr Matthew Weiner is a great resource (you tube videos, books, podcast, website). He does encourage a plant based eating style but you can use it as a guide & for ideas especially around increasing vegetable consumption, ingredient alternatives, etc. I didn’t exercise while losing & still don’t as people define exercise. I do 4 x 5 minute sessions of stretching & resistance bands through out the day. Easier to find 5 minute blocks of time throughout the day versus say an hour + at the gym. It’s called exercise snacking. Though as other have said you probably do a lot of running about with your little ones as it is. And yes, stop using the word diet. It’s so filled with negative connotations like restriction & failure. I started saying I’m not on a diet, I just changed the way I eat from when people started noticing my weight loss. (The usual reaction: Oh, you’ve lost weight. What diet are you on?) It’s does contribute to changing your thinking about food & eating. Go back to the basics when you were losing. Meet your protein & fluid goals. Watch your portions. Protein first, then vegetables & then carbs if you’re able. You can start slow & incorporate one or two changes every couple of weeks. Much easier to adopt than jumping in with both feet. Don’t be afraid to touch base with your dietician, surgeon or therapist if only for support & remind you of anything you may have forgotten or missed. All the best.

Spinoza, I never even noticed that before!! I usually go to my profile, then scroll to my surgery, then left side offers options, click progress, and then I can edit. So much easier using the together we have lost..... Also, SacB, so well done. It's so weird, right? I went shopping today for clothes, first time since I started losing weight, I've been shopping in my closet but I've run out now. It was so much fun.

Ah - sorry - forgot what I actually started out to say. Arabesque is right (as she usually is). If you can go back to your original programme do. Protein first, veg second, carbs third or not at all. No sugar, it's ridiculously addictive and produces insulin spikes that make you crave it more. Perhaps consider a keto week to get you started and minimise cravings - so protein and green leafy veg only?

I'm 10 weeks post op and I did eat a fry, just one, and I liked it a lot. I've also eaten a small piece of pizza crust and my body doesn't tolerate gluten. Both times I was ok, but I'm afraid to try any more than that. Which is just the way it should be I think. I've had times when I felt voracious, ate more than usual, felt bad about it, then realized I just ate 1/10th of what I would eat previously. It's ok. For those times that I may not find anything to eat and I'm out and about, I keep roasted soynuts (The only bean comes in .9 oz packets, fits in any purse and is very satisfying) or protein bars with me. Just saying, I haven't learned all this from the surgery, I've been on very restricted diets for a long time due to GI issues, where it was unlikely I would find something I could eat outside my house. Clearly I wasn't restricting the quantities, just the specifics.

If you have access to therapy, this is something that would be good to address because this mindset of guilt and shame is neither healthy nor productive. I know that not everyone can get therapy, but there are other resources available. Perhaps your clinic has a support group you can join. I highly recommend the podcast, “We Only Look Thin,” which has a lot of great advice relating to mindset. The bottom line is that no single meal is going to make you regain 36 pounds. Beating yourself up over it isn’t going to accomplish anything. You’re new to post-WLS eating and still learning, so learn for next time. Recognize that you weren’t prepared for the event not having food that meets your needs and learn to be prepared next time. Maybe keep a “just in case” protein bar in your car. One of my strategies for an unknown food situation is bringing my own Skinny Girl salad dressing and/or a couple of low-carb tortillas, so I can make a salad or wrap out of what’s available. Also, nowadays people are pretty sensitive about dietary restrictions and won’t be offended if you ask what will be served and even request a special meal if you’re comfortable (though I understand not wanting to call attention to your diet). Having an all-or-nothing mindset where you equate two fries and half an onion ring to failure is really harmful. You made a couple of decisions, in seven whole weeks, that weren’t on track. That’s not going to derail all of your progress. There’s no reason you can’t continue to stay on track aside from those isolated instances. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t quit the race just because your shoe came untied once or twice.