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And, BTW, if you don't like the texture of the fiber in your protein drink, I also mix it in my Greek yogurt.

I took the prescribed pain stuff for two days after and haven't taken any since. Lots of walking, rest when u need it but don't become a vegetable. Do your daily stuff (with limitations!). I like cold water better than warm (everyone different!) For my crushed meds I put them in a lil shot glass, squirting a little water enhancer flavoring w/ a dab of water and down it. So much better than the med taste! I put my "meals" in a small container measured out and just eat slow ...loving greek yogurt, cream of chicken soup and sonic ice! You'll know when you've taken too big of a bite, or eaten too much, it's a feeling like you've swallowed a big gulp of air on accident and gets stuck in your chest... gas pains were worse while in the hospital, at home I was so relived when I could toot! Hmmm... once I was at home and now in a little routine I have no qualms about my decision and can tell this is exactly what I needed to be successful at living healthy! Take it one (quick) day at a time !

Awesome! Thanks for all the tips. Anybody have any good recipes for post-op (any stages)? I'm hoping I don't lose my taste for Greek yogurt because I love it now.

For immediately post-op, the best piece of advice I got was be upright (sitting or standing) and move as much as possible. When they move you into your regular hospital room after the recovery ward, do not let them put you into your bed! Instead, sit upright in the loveseat, easy chair, rocker, whatever they have for you in your room. That makes it easier to get up and down for your walking and trips to the bathroom (unless you have a a catheter you will be making plenty of trips to the bathroom). When you are sitting in your room, you can gently rock your upper body back and forth with your arms crossed over your torso. Sitting, standing, walking, and rocking help get rid of the post-surgical gas and will make you much more comfortable. Lying around in bed will not help you. Don't even get into bed unless you are going to nap or sleep. Don't overpack for the hospital. It's surgery, not a cruise. The hospital will have virtually everything you need. Apps: Myfitnesspal (though I mostly use the website rather than the app) and Eat Slower. If you find yourself thinking, after three weeks on liquids, or only being able to eat yogurt, or whatever, "I'm bored with this food" -- remember that food is NOT entertainment. Find something else to entertain you and resign yourself to being bored with your food, at least for the immediate future. It isn't the end of the world. Do whatever you can to not compare yourself to other people. Don't weigh yourself every day if it is going to drive you crazy. It doesn't matter if other people are losing 40 lbs a month (they aren't), are told by their doctor to start eating solid foods 5 days after surgery, have to limit themselves to 8 grams of carbs per day, or are running marathons 6 weeks after surgery. What everyone else is doing and what their results are should be irrelevant to you if you trust your surgeon and his team and are faithfully following the program they laid out for you.

Hi girls, for sure, please monitor your blood stats. With Bariatric surgery we will have to monitor for the rest of our lives. Vitamins and the dreaded Protein also are part of the package. We can't afford to be "whatever" with what we eat because the margin of error is so small. Because we ate a lot before the chances of eating all the nutrients needed was much more likely but with our reduced stomachs and ability to absorb the nutrients is so reduced what we eat is "CRITICAL." I say this because I too have had ups and downs with how I eat. Fortunately I have done well with my vitamins, except for the occasional forgetfulness. I met someone in BP whose girlfriend was suffering from what sounded like neurological damage due to Vitamin deficiency. It's irreversible and it scarred the living daylights out of me. I even take my pills in the middle of the night if I forgot to take them. Sometimes it's 4 PM and "OH No" I have 4 sets of pills to take 2 hours apart. A 2 AM alarm clock fixes it and it's annoying enough that I try not to do it again. food can be stressful at times. I noticed if I eat a meal with my family it's a lot worse because I eat too fast. I never get sick at lunch because I eat a bite, do something, comeback for another and so forth. At dinner, I sit and I am usually stressed because everyone is talking and at times misbehaving and I just fixed a meal. I'm hot and stressed out. The whole thing does not work for me. I probably should have tea with my family rather then a meal. The past 4 days I got sick after dinner. It's not really the foamies but more like mucus. The nausea is overwhelming and I have to throw up. Then, for the next hour I have to lay down because I get this sense of exhaustion. I wonder if this is dumping? Many days, I survive on greek yogurt, chick peas, Protein Bars, fruit, plain chicken and the occasional saltine cracker. And lots of warm tea. Love how I am not morbidly obese and I how feel better physically. My mind still plays tricks with me and I get easily down when I get disappointed with clothes shopping or life in general. But I bounce back. There is so much to be hopeful about.

I hate jello so I'm a little nervous about post-op but I've been living on protein shakes and Greek yogurt so far and it's been good. Good luck!!

My changed tastes made things tough for me also. I snack on cheese and nuts mostly. Sometimes I still have a protein shake. Sliced deli turkey (fresh) does well for me. Peanut butter works very well. Yogurt. I love little carrots and any fresh fruit but only in small amounts.

Good evening, the same is occurring with me also. It happens even with jello but not so much with warm liquids(broths). I'm 9 days post op, but I also had a hernia repaired. I just transitioned to yogurts and soupy oatmeal. Because of the pain, I've limited those and decided on the broth a little longer. I too am praying it passes. Please keep me posted as to how anyone is/has handled this issue.

I found that fiber one mixed with my Greek yogurt every morning along with an Andrew Lessman product called Fibermucil worked like a charm for me. Good luck!

Great news!!! Take your time!! Never drink more than a couple of ounces at a sitting. Tonight for me was horrific. I hadn't eaten anything but a yogurt. So by dinner I was famished. I only had five bites of chicken but it was too much and I drank too soon, so things got stuck. I tried to walk through the pain. But I ended up throwing up for the first time. I will definitely measure how much I eat and chew until it's puréed. The discomfort is something that is hard to describe. Do not let it happen to you. My poor daughters were so frightened as they watched me vomit in the street. We were trying to walk through the pain. I finally was able to lie down. I'm hungry but too frightened to eat tonight. Goodnight to everyone. Rest well and dream of how you will feel one year from now!! Lisa

I've had Hashimoto's most of my life. I've also had several bouts of anemia. I was sleeved on September 17, 2014. I'm 5 ft. 2 and weighed 218 pds. day before post op diet started. It is now 8 months out and I weigh 145 pds. and wearing a size junior's 7/8 jeans. I've only walked a little for exercise. I have a very bad back. Broke it in 2 places and was on steroids for a year and could not get the weight back off. I wrote every single thing that i ate down in a spiral notebook after surgery along with how much protein, carbs, and calories. Most days in the first few months I could not eat more than 500 calories. I kept my carbs under 15 and tried to keep my protein as high as possible by adding protein powder to soups, yogurt, and sugar free pudding. The weight will come off steadily if you do this. I did have a stall around the 3rd month that lasted about 3 weeks but don't worry. Keep watching your carb intake and your body will naturally burn fat. I also take a probiotic daily. I hope that helps.

I was adding miralax, Metamucil and benefiber to my Protein smoothies and still had to take MOM every other day just so I could go every 3 days or so. And when I did go, it was rock hard and I would even bleed trying to get it out (sorry TMI). Then I started adding INSOLUBLE Fiber to my smoothies (benefiber and Metamucil are soluble fiber products) and I was able to stop everything else. I use a mixture of ground flax seed and apple fiber. Now my stools are soft but formed and I go regularly every day. I also mix Kashi Go Lean Cereal in my Greek yogurt (it has 13g protein/10g insoluble fiber per serving)

Mixed nuts with craisins (I keep a stash in my house and at work) Quest bar or Natures Valley Protein bar or Kind whole grain bar Jerky Lunch meat and cream cheese roll ups Chicken salad on pita bites Greek yogurt with Kashi go lean cereal Summer sausage and cheese For breakfast I premake a bunch of protein pancakes and freeze them. I heat them for 30 seconds in the microwave and serve with butter and syrup....yum. I also premake crustless quiche squares (eggs, unflavored protein powder, mushrooms, spinach, cheese) and freeze them. Again, a quick 30 seconds in the microwave, grab and go.... Baked beans with chopped ham or pork.

Advice coming here from someone 14 months post-op at goal weight. I'm trying to remember back to those first few months post-surgery! I stocked up on a bunch of supplies pre-surgery and didn't end up using 99% of them post-surgery. I just cleaned out my cubbords and threw out a bunch of soup and protein powders I never used because I couldn't stand them post-surgery. Others I tolerated before hand but post-surgery we can only eat so little that I wasn't willing to sacrifice taste for a few bites of anything. In other words, I typically opted for the full-fat cottage cheese vs. fat-free cottage cheese. To get specific - a lot of people recommend those torani sugar-free flavored syrups. I purchased 8 and never found a use for them. Adding them to cottage cheese and yogurt was just... Runny and gross. The idea of drinking chicken/beef broth pre-surgery sounded far from appealing so things didn't change post-surgery. I bought two containers of uninjury chicken broth I used one scoop out of. I would say gravitate toward things you know you love. Right after surgery, I ate jello and protein drinks. I made jello in small individual sized Tupperware containers where I added "unflavored" uninjury protein. Premiere protein drinks have 30 grams of protein. I used to get them at Costco but my local store doesn't carry them anymore. Keep in mind that blending protein shakes with ice in a blender with a bunch of extras is a big no-no after surgery. It will make too much liquid for you to consume and add air bubbles you don't want. I'm mentioning this because there was a high-protein power I could tolerate pre-surgery if I added ice, 1/2 banana and powdered peanut butter. Post surgery it tasted gross in a shaker bottle. Cottage cheese was another staple to have and any soup you know you like. A blender is handy to purée any chunks down. A food scale is handy to have down the road. The supply I found the most helpful to have is those small Dixie cups people often have in their bathrooms. They are the perfect size to measure out food right after surgery and will keep you from having to wash endless dishes for a tiny spoonful of food!!!!!

I'm 18 months out and don't tend to always follow the Protein first rules, but I'm maintaining beneath my goal weight and still losing, so it seems to have worked out. My days tend to vary, but they usually go something along the lines of this: Breakfast - 1/3 cup Cascadian Farms Fruit and Nut Granola (I only eat this kind- no reason I just like it best) Snack (after morning workout) -Protein shake (almond milk, frozen Greek yogurt, PB2, & protein powder) lunch - 1/2 Hillshire Farms Little Plate (it has salami, cheese, and a hard cracker- like an adult lunchable) Snack - turkey and cheddar cheese roll-up or cottage cheese or 1/2 a Protein Bar or handful of granola dinner - other half of the Hilshire Farms Little Plate Snack -Veggie crisps This day works out to 916 calories (with turkey as the second snack), 92 carbs, 40 fat grams, 53g protein, 2,370 mg sodium, and 32g sugar. I ate exactly that the other day so MyFitnessPal gives me the full breakdown. The fat grams are a little higher than I like because of the cheese, and the veggie crisps have no great nutritional value, but I like them. On some days I'll eat more than that because I'm hungry or I've worked out a lot. I routinely eat a grilled chicken sandwich from a fast food place, the other day I had an entire chicken salad from Chik Fil A over the course of two meals, and I add things like hummus, watermelon, cantaloupe, crackers, chili, marinara sauce with zuchinni noodles, etc. For the most part I eat whatever I want to, just in very small servings. Also, my "whatever I want to" is dictated by my sleeve which hates anything that has fat, sugar, or has been near butter or a fryer. Almost all sweets and junk food make me instantly sick, so while I wouldn't mind eating a piece of cake, one or two bites is about all my stomach will tolerate so I just tend to not go for things like that anymore. Also, there are days where I may hit 1800 calories, so don't think you'll be stuck eating 1000 calories for the rest of your life. I'm hungrier when I workout more and when I know I'm going to blow my calorie goal for the day I just make sure I do it in protein based food instead of junk. Once you've hit the maintenance stage, you can eat anything your stomach will tolerate. I weigh myself everyday and I record everything I eat or drink in MyFitnessPal, so I keep myself accountable and then if I happen to want to have a cocktail or some cake or something else bad for me, I eat a few bites, I enjoy it, I put it into MyFitnessPal, and then I go back to eating my regular food afterwards. The nice thing about the sleeve is that it has taught me moderation- something I could never manage before surgery.

I'm 17 months out and have been maintaining below goal for over 8 months. There is nothing complicated about my meal plan.....I simply eat a healthy, balanced diet of protein, fruits, veggies and whole grains. I don't measure, count track or buy special ingredients (except my protein powders). I'm single and don't really like to cook, so I do a lot of simple meals or whatever looks good in the grocery store deli. I eat a lot of soups and chili in the winter. I do still drink a large protein smoothie most days to make sure I'm getting enough protein. Yesterday.... Slice of turkey ham and 1 fried egg 2 large travel mugs of decaf coffee with 1/2 and 1/2 Carl's Jr. Single cheeseburger with tomato and onion wrapped in lettuce, no bun 20oz bottle Vitamin Water Seafood cocktail (fake crab meat with cocktail sauce) Mixed veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, zucchini) with Italian seasoning and parm cheese 1/4 apple with Peter Pan peanut butter Large cup of Sleepytime tea Chobani Greek Yogurt with Kashi Go Lean cereal Normal work day (I don't get a lunch break so there's lot of snacking all day)..... Decaf coffee with 1/2 and 1/2 Quest Bar or Kind whole grain bar Mixed nuts with craisins Homemade elk jerky 32 oz bottle of water Large Protein smoothie with fruit (banana, peaches or berries) and insoluble fiber supplement Protein for dinner (ham, beef, turkey, seafood, fish, whatever) Either a V8 or a couple servings of veggies, depending on how much room I have Greek yogurt Cup of tea And as for me, it's not necessarily about eating healthy 100% of the time, either. I have an alcoholic drink, candy, dessert, junk food, etc. several times a month. I pigged out over the holidays and then got back to basics afterwards. Just everything in moderation, like any "normal" thin person I know.

What happens if you eat until stuffed? You don't lose weight, and you risk stretching your new stomach out. The removal of the grehlin hormone production site helps. I'm finding I don't go from normal to hungry to famished - I go from normal to normal to famished. There doesn't seem to be much tummy rumbling either (of course now that I'm thinking about it, my stomach just let off a grumble, so it must be psychological). About every 4 hours, I need food. For example: breakfast-an egg, lunch a slice of ham and a slice of cheese (a non- bread sandwich), mid-afternoon a yogurt, dinner 3 Swedish meatballs, evening pudding. But, I'm still home, so when I get more active next week, this may change. Still, I'm only eating about 500-800 calories a day right now. Thanks for your response. Did you have a band? Also my surgeon showed me research. The sleeve he says doesn't really stretch if done correctly. People learn to eat around it as they do with the band. I'm trying to understand from former bandsters the difference in how the sleeve works.

I am eleven months post op so I can eat more than a recent post op. Here is an example of one of my days: Breakfast: two scrambled eggs Lunch: grilled chicken (one leg and a thigh) Dinner: grilled salmon, steamed green Beans Snacks: one piece of string cheese, Greek yogurt, turkey Jerky Of course my days vary. Sometimes I will add a Protein drink a few days a week. I also am only a few pounds from goal so I do have "cheat" days. Yesterday was one of them. I had a chocolate bar, and two sugar Cookies. Will be back on my plan today. I feel I can almost eat close to what is considered "normal".

What happens if you eat until stuffed? You don't lose weight, and you risk stretching your new stomach out. The removal of the grehlin hormone production site helps. I'm finding I don't go from normal to hungry to famished - I go from normal to normal to famished. There doesn't seem to be much tummy rumbling either (of course now that I'm thinking about it, my stomach just let off a grumble, so it must be psychological). About every 4 hours, I need food. For example: breakfast-an egg, lunch a slice of ham and a slice of cheese (a non- bread sandwich), mid-afternoon a yogurt, dinner 3 Swedish meatballs, evening pudding. But, I'm still home, so when I get more active next week, this may change. Still, I'm only eating about 500-800 calories a day right now.

My NUT also recommends the sugar free torani flavorings to add to plain yogurt, much like Sutter Phoenix recommends the extracts above. Lots of flavors to choose from and fairly inexpensive, especially for the amount you get in one bottle.

Fage is awesome (I get 2% because I find it satisfies me more...some fat is good for us!), and it's real Greek yogurt. It's what the Greeks actually eat. Once I'm able to, I'll add Kashi or granola to it to make it "stick" in my tummy a little longer. I also love Nancy's Organic Greek with honey, if you can find it. Note: I like thick Greek yogurt, and I enjoy the tart much more than the sweet. So YMMV.

My surgery for the sleeve and hernia repair went well 10 days ago. I was having a problem free recovery. No nausea. Decent intake of liquids. After a week, I developed a high fever. We called the doctor, they set up a CT scan and told me to come in. I was admitted after the test. They did a swallow test the next day. I was advised it didn't look like a leak, but was suspicious. My doctor is really attentive, concerned and I don't have any issues with his care. I was in the hospital 3 days. After the swallow test on Friday, I was told the mass hadn't gotten any bigger. My white cell counts are lower. while there, I didn't get any of the medication that controls my asthma. My mother snuck some in, but I had a long day with bad allergies and stuff settled in my lungs. On Friday, they said my lungs had deteriorated, too. I knew they had because I had a constant wheeze. Since getting out yesterday, I've cleared my runny nose, cleared up my wheeze and put in extra time in the spirometer. My mother has been watching me and monitoring my vitals. I spent a little time with my roommate and cats this afternoon. It wiped me out. I came home. I thought I was doing better, then I was overcome by violent shaking, chills and hyperventilating. Mom called 911. They said my vitals were ok. No sign if stroke, seizure or heart attack. Maybe an anxiety attack? We were just getting ready to go out. No stress. But I have been really emotional lately. Maybe it was. I chose to stay here, since I was breathing again. I think I can treat my lungs better here. I'm upright and move around more, plus I can use my nebulizer. Then to top it off, I weighed myself at the house. I went into the surgery at 346. I think I lost 20 on the pre op diet. It said I gained 8 pounds! I'm still on a phase 1 liquid diet. At the hospital, I only had a few sugar free Popsicles and Water for three days! I had gotten up to pudding and yogurt, before going in the second time. I didn't have that much if it. It would take me an afternoon to get through a carton. Now my temperature seems to be up again. I don't know what to do. I'm getting my lungs under control. Has anyone had these setbacks and gotten through it? I'm feeling quite frustrated and depressed now. I'm worried about the internal infection. Maybe I shouldn't have done this. So far I have had a world of trouble and gained weight!

I'm 5 wks post op. My dr said I can start trying different foods. I was probably able to get about 3-4 bites with a baby spoon. I don't think eating the whole thing in one day is a good idea due to the high sugar. My dietician doesn't want me to have more the 20 grams of fat a day. She wants me to eat more lean protein and veggies since I was mostly eating yogurt cottage cheese and soft cheese she said that's to much dairy. It's also hard to prepare a meal for myself when I know I'm only going to eat about 1/4 th of it. Just thought Atkins would be a good choice. But yeah ur rite to much sodium and processed.

This. The fake stuff is disgusting. I wish using "Greek" on yogurt labels was regulated somehow. Whipped Greek yogurt? Um, no. That doesn't even make sense. The fake stuff is slimy and weird. I love Fage. I just get a big bucket of the plain and mix my own stuff into it; strawberries, maple syrup, honey, PB2, etc... whatever I'm in the mood for. You can also make it yourself. Just get (or make) regular plain yogurt and put it in a colander lined with cheese cloth. Put the colander over a bowl to catch the whey and let it sit overnight in the fridge. Voila! Greek yogurt.

I am on stage 3 soft foods/puree and I have no clue what to eat I am not a yogurt fan. Please help