Search the Community

During the liquid phase, at work, I primarily ate greek 2% yogurt mixed with a little milk to thin it out. Then I would add a packet or two of splenda. That and a Protein shake was usually enough to get me through the work day.

Canned chicken breast makes an easy and moist Chicken salad... just drain and mix with some Miracle Whip. A scrambled egg. Refried Beans with cheese. Dannon Light & Fit Greek yogurt is great (I still love and eat it almost every day). I was able to eat fish on soft foods, and Tilapia was very easy for me.

I'm on a part liquid part lean protein diet. I have to have 2 protein shakes a day, but I can also have a 2 cup salad or 1/2 cup veggies, 1/2 cup non fat cottage cheese, and 3 oz lean meat, sugar free jello, Popsicles, 1/2 cup yogurt. I just have to keep it below 1000 calories and no more than 80 carbs a day.

Yogurt, cottage cheese, refried beans, protein pudding, cream of wheat, oatmeal, applesauce

RMAP has a pretty lenient diet protocol IMO, from what I've been reading on here. It's only half a day clear liquid before surgery (starting at 3pm) and by day 4 after they have you on stuff like light yogurt, cottage cheese, strained Soup, etc. By day 15 you can have soft moist foods. So yeah, it's gotta be the most "liberal" of the diets I've seen! (Including the 10 day preop diet. That's just a 1000 calorie diet with a Protein shake for Breakfast, lunch, and a Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice meal for dinner. So not bad at all!)

Hey everyone. I've been meaning to get on here and share my story and ask for advice. The condensed version is that I had gastric bypass 6 months ago, ended up in the hospital for almost four months in extreme pain, had my gallbladder removed, another diagnostic surgery, and finally opted to have my bypass reversed and converted to a sleeve. Doctor suspected I had roux limb syndrome, and rare and painful condition where the intestines don't work. I had sleeve surgery 2.5 months ago and I have not been able to advance my diet. I have lost 100 pounds in 6 months and am very near to my original goal weight, which may actually be less than I want to weigh. I am already very thin. I can only eat yogurt, some cheese, broth, liquids, and sometimes I can eat hard pretzels. Protein shakes give me diarrhea now and I can't tolerate anything sweet. When I try and eat other things my stomach hurts like crazy and I have to make myself throw up. Sometimes even yogurt makes me sick. I struggle constantly with dehydration as Water also tends to bother my stomach. I feel like I am in prison with these restrictions going on for so long. I am desperate to be able to advance my diet and get in meats and veggies. I am also feeling very hungry a lot more now, a sign to me that my body needs and wants more food. If anyone has any advice for me I would greatly appreciate it. Am I just expecting to be able to eat more than I am ready for? Its been about 10 weeks since I had my sleeve surgery.

You and I are close in weight and while I would like to drop to around 119 I have found that there are certain things that prevent me from losing, which aren't unhealthy. As an example, when I lift weight, I maintain or gain weight but lose in inches. I have largely avoided weight training because I know I am all about a certain number and if I had been lifting the entire time, I would never have gotten into the 130's forget the 120's. I look at a squat rack and I gain weight, so now that I am under my original goal weight and sort of close to my end goal weight, one way to not continue to lose weight and to increase my tone is through building muscle. In conjunction with building muscle, a nice side of being a little thinner is you can add Protein shakes that have more calories and more protein. This balances out the calories you are burning with exercise and adds calories to your diet that aren't bad for you. You can also up your protein a little more, which also adds calories and is healthy for you, because now you don't have to worry about eating so much that you won't lose. I know that if I want to continue to lose I absolutely must have some form of cardio workout and be under 1400 calories, or if I want to be lazy and skip exercise, I don't get more than 1000 calories. I have found that to maintain I can eat around 1500-1800 calories and around 60-80g of protein and as long as I'm working out I don't really gain, I just bounce around between 2-3 pounds. So shorter version of my answer to your question- add more protein, healthy fat, and weight based exercise. You'll build muscle, which will make you look more toned, but you won't be getting skinnier since you're counteracting everything with higher calories and higher protein. Adding a single Protein shake that has a decent amount of calories (I like the kind in my blender with Protein powder, almond milk, PB2, and frozen greek yogurt) should help you gain a few pounds healthily or maintain.

1. 18 lbs in a month is amazing. I keep seeing a lot of people post "I've only lost xx lbs since surgery." If you're using the word lost, you're doing great. 2. You're healing. Your stomach is inflamed and tight. It makes it really hard to get anything in, even liquids. My first few weeks I would get so frustrated about not being able to get my liquids in. Now, I'm 7 weeks post op and still I can barely finish a kids portion of beans from Chipotle. But I take down all the fluids! Anything i ever eat there's either leftovers or i end up throwing something out (or feeding it to my dog). 3. If eating is a struggle for you, then drink your nutrition. If you're on a proper vitamin regimen, your body can survive on water, vitamins and protein for awhile. Protein and fluids also aid with healing. If you're feeling restriction in your stomach, that means your surgery is working. If you're not able to pass any food or liquid at all, you need to see your doctor. It doesn't sound like the latter is your problem. You will eventually get more comfortable eating. Some foods work better than others. Try soft foods for longer than what your dr recommends. Add protein to soup or yogurt etc. I found yogurt to be the easier thing to tolerate in my first few weeks. You'll get there! Focus on your fluids and protein to maintain your nutrition levels. If your vitamins are too big or are gross, try some other ones. Everything I take is chewable or liquid except for my B complex, which is a very small gel cap I bought from my Dr's office.

You can do simple things that won't really change your habits. If you have dairy, make sure it's full fat (2%milk not skim, full fat yogurt and cottage cheese not 0%). If you do Protein bars, switch them out for some whole grain bars with more carbs. Add in just one more healthy but high calorie snack to your daily menu... 1/2 cup of nuts, a banana, tuna or crab salad made with real mayo and served with crackers, whole grain Cereal with whole milk, a cup of raw veggies with dip or ranch dressing, etc. this is what I did when I hit goal and wanted to stop losing. Are you seeing a therapist or have access to a counseling group? Being afraid to eat more in order to stop losing weight is just as much of an eating disorder as eating too much.

sometimes a fill will cause a temporary swelling of the stoma. go back to liquids and than try mushies. sometimes we do have to take a step backwards. and it's true that chicken can be dry especially white meat. a lot of banders don't tolerate white meat. I too would try a different kind of protein. so after all this, take a step back. go back to soups and yogurt cottage cheese etc.

I tried to eat a healthy, balanced diet from the get go. Besides eating plenty of Protein and veggies, I was putting soft fruits like peaches, mangos and bananas in my Protein shakes starting the 2nd week postop. Since artificial sweeteners hurt my sleeve I was using pureed fruit to flavor my plain Greek yogurt. I was OK'd for seeds and skins at 3 months postop and started adding berries to my smoothies and I had 1/4 apple with Peanut Butter as a snack several times/week. I put craisins in my mixed nuts which I. snack on everyday. In the summer, frozen pineapple, frozen melon chunks and frozen orange segments are a favorite. All that fruit and I still passed goal at 7 months and have maintained 10 pounds below goal for over 9 months. I still shoot for a healthy, balanced diet of protein, veggies, fruit, whole grains and plenty of Water. I must be getting good nutrition because I only take a 1/2 dose of a whole food based Multivitamin, some extra Vitamin D and B12 and my bloodwork is perfect.

I believe that lactose levels are lower in cheese and yogurt vs milk. I vaguely remember reading that somewhere.

Same here cheese is no problem. Neither is yogurt....go figure

It is not unusual to become intolerant to certain foods (including lactose) after VSG. My surgeon explained that our new sleeves are not quite functioning normally and food molecules end up passing into our intestines differently than before. Not quite as "digested" as with a normal stomach. Our intestines may react negatively to these "new" molecules. The intolerance may be temporary or permanent. As for me, plain Water, artificial sweeteners and milk all caused stomach pain right after surgery. I simply drank lactaid milk, coconut milk, almond milk, decaf herbal teas, diluted fruit juice and diluted regular (not low cal) sports drinks. The odd thing was I could eat Greek yogurt, cheese and cottage cheese, just not milk. After about 4 months, all of these intolerances went away, and I could finally drink milk and plain water with no problems.

3 weeks post op and everything seems to be going great. I am down 58 pounds total. But 10 of those came as a result of the 2 week liquid preop diet. First two days were the most challenging. No pain, just slight discomfort due to wanting to burp... It passes pretty quick though, within a week. I was able to do mostly anything i wanted after surgery, just a little slower. Walking, driving, etc. I've graduated from the liquid diet, to canned fruit, chicken, potato salad, Soup, greek yogurt. Taste buds seemed to have changed slightly. Chicken salad, potato salad make me nauseous now.... I used to love it. A few other things that i used to like aren't appealing anymore... As i am able to eat more i will know. Eating slower and chewing my food up really really really good are one of my challenges as i was a fast eater prior to surgery. The other challenge was recognizing when I was full... Doesn't take long to figure it out though, you will get tired of throwing up, or tired of the discomfort of having one to many spoon fulls.... And having to make yourself throw it up to get relief. Taking Vitamins and staying hydrated (minimal 64oz water) is critical.... If you become dehydrated, guzzling down Water to recover isn't an option. I've gotten slightly dehydrated a few times and other times haven't had alot of energy, which are probably the same thing... But both situations were a result of me not getting the proper fluids. Sip all day, this is the easiest way to stay hydrated. I've been working out to minimize excess skin. Haven't seen any yet. I'm glad i went through with the surgery... I have seen some of the YouTube videos where people say that they no longer like food and life isn't fulfilling anymore and all of that other stuff... but I'm happy to report that this has not been the case for me.

Is anybody else allowed to have Greek yogurt? It hasn't been too bad for me with yogurt, soup, and protein shakes. Are you guys doing broths at all? Have you bought any to prep for after? I'm doing my last bit of shopping this weekend and want to see if anybody has good ideas or brands. =)

Has anybody done the pre-op liquid diet and not had much trouble with it? I mean, I was exhausted the first two days, but I'm fine now. I'm pretty much subsisting on greek yogurt and soup right now, but I've been throwing in one protein drink a day. I love greek yogurt, so to me, it hasn't been too limiting.

I've had some mild dumping. My heart races, I get sweaty and then about 5 minutes later, I'm in the restroom. BUT...I avoid whatever I ate mistakenly so it doesn't happen again. Like ice cream, or frozen yogurt I just cannot do. I've tried sugar free also, but my new stomach just doesn't like it. For me, it's high sugar foods or high fat that can be a problem typically. And like I said, as long as I avoid those foods I'm good! I'm 7 months out and have only had that happen a handful of times. In the beginning I was nauseous a lot, but not dumping.

Multiple lab blood tests, X-rays and then CAT scan (with yucky dye iv) and they ruled out lung clot. They did however diagnose me with Atelectasis. I guess a partial lung collapse common after abdominal surgery. Could turn into Pneumonia if I don't do what I'm supposed to. Big deep breaths, breathing into incentive spirometer (was sent home from surgery with this and I prob didn't use as often as I should have) And exercise until I'm winded. I have been walking 2-3 miles a day but at a slower pace (45-50 mins). They did not allow me to advance to the next food stage, Im still on liquids and yogurt. I guess this just got real. Breathing into a hose several times every hour (except when sleeping) for the next 7-10 days! It was so nice to read all your concern. I ❤️ this thread!

Do you just eat what you want, but in tiny portions? That's what i'm finding...and am still losing, I tend to think it's still about calories in vs out....And i've cut back on almost all of my carbs.Hi Joshua - here's my question's for you in this order: 1) where do you live? I have an endless list of "honey-do" home improvement projects that never get done. I need base baseboards, a full bathroom remodel, a new light fixture hung... The list could go on and on. Of course all of this will likely be put on hold in favor of a tummy tuck and a new set of knockers now that I'm living life at goal weight and I had to choose how to spend my money! 2) Do you have access to the Internet? Of course you do! You're on here! I find it concerning that your receiving minimal after-care post-surgery. It is bothersome that your surgeon and his/her team are not available to you for support. However, there is a wealth of information about the Bariatric lifestyle available online including food stages and timing. May I also suggest the book our buddy Alex of BP wrote? I think it's called The big book on the Gastric Sleeve. It's available on Amazon. Just google his name. To answer your question about eating whatever you want - yes, during the entire 14 months post WLS, I have been pretty much able to eat whatever I want in smaller quantities. Does this mean that I CHOSE to eat whatever I want? We will save that for later. I DID however follow the rules regarding the progression from liquids to puréed to soft foods, etc. This is SO important as your stomach has been cut open and it is trying to mend itself. Do you really want something sharp in there risking you to develop a leak?!? I tried to find my WLS binder to take pictures of the food stages and suggested meals. It's MIA. Maybe someone else can do that here for you. Also get on the Internet and do some research!!! Here's the other reason why I'm going to tell you not to rush into solid foods - it's during these first few weeks specifically that you will lose the greatest amount of weight. As you start to introduce more food into your diet and as time goes on, your weight loss WILL slow down. It's the biggest mystery here. I'm 14 months out and living life at goal weight, but there's plenty people on here who are exercising like crazy, taking in less than 1200 a day and their weight loss has hit a plateau. They SHOULD be losing weight if it was all about the input vs. output theory. So yes, right now, so early after surgery, you are in what we call the "honeymoon" phase. It's when you can eat like crap if you chose and still lose weight. It's an awesome feeling, huh? Can I make a suggestion? Read this forum. Often. Perhaps visit the veterans board. The process begins to change the farther you get out from surgery. At some point you WILL stop losing unless you start putting some effort in. WHEN exactly this occurs is different for each of us. For me, the process was a tad easy. I suspect it was because I started the process at a lower BMI. I considered myself a slow loser, but I had no issue reaching my surgeon's goal for me and surpassing it by 10 pounds before a year's time. Now with that being said, my personal stretch goal is another 10-12 pounds from where I am. My body is quite content in staying exactly where I am IF I continue doing what I have been doing the past 14 months since surgery - eating what I want and exercising (sporadically.). Some people have to put more effort in to work their "tool." My time has come. What I can tell you is this time in the journey is really tough for those who haven't developed healthy lifestyles. This requires that we are honest with ourselves and take a look at the reasons at how or why we were significantly overweight. At 14 months out, I still have restriction, but I could easily eat around the sleeve if I wanted to. Regain at this stage is really common. I wasn't always over weight and gained weight as a result of poor work-life balance after having children. This past year I have made efforts to plan meals ahead of time to eliminate eating on the go and take out. I never really considered myself an emotional eater, but I've always known there are certain foods I can't have in my house so I've never bought them - Cookies, chips, soda, crackers are foods I would easily binge on. Why risk it? I went into this process already implementing a lot of the lifestyle habits they require post-WLS. I believe this may be in part why the process has been so easy for me. I didn't find it a struggle to adapt at all. I track everything I eat on the loseit app on my phone. This helps me with accountability. I don't really view any food as taboo at this point as long as I account for it and don't forgo Protein or other import nutrients. I stay away from carbs as much as I can. My post is getting long and this point I can't even remember your original question! Ha thanks! To asnswer your question i'm in Ottawa Canada, you need help you just holla and i'll come running! I just started my giant deck yesterday as well and have it half done, lost two pounds too! haha But yes, you are right, i've been taking a step back and seeing what I have been eating, it will take some MORE getting used to, but I have pretty much cut %90 carbs out and focus on the protein or veggies of most things. I did have a McDicks chicken burger the other day and it was gross. GOOD SIGN! I do however LOVE my jumbo freezies, 3 og them plus my regualr intake of about 900-1200 calories a day take me over my sugar cap according to MyFitnesspal. But I will continue to make smart choices, and not buy food that will take me off my track. I told my wife to not buy the crap, and if the good stuff is there I will choose it...but it has to be there...Good cold cuts, yogurt, fruits and veggies, so she's happy because she's losing as well. All around, some great advice, and I DO have that book lol, I will keep digging in and finding some more! Thanks for the response!

I was sleeved 4/23, and lost 15 lbs since surgery. I mostly eat soups, cottage cheese, avocado, string cheese, applesauce, and yogurt. Soft cooked veggies are fine too. Scrambled eggs still is uncomfortable, as well as other things. I'm tired of soup!!!!

Just wanted to congratulate you on your diet advance. I read that another member, also had the chili @ Wendy's and it was a successful meal. It's really nice to be able to eat "normal" foods, while still staying on track. I'm only allowed eggs, yogurt, string cheese, and Protein shakes. Which is no problem, but I think I'm going to turn into a stinkin a giant piece of protein...chocolate flavored. ???? lol

My top Snacks are: roasted pistachios or nuts in general, full fat cheese, beef jerkey and fat free milk. I know some doctors don't believe in snacking but it helps me stay on tack all day. I have a Protein shake when I get up which gives me a 30gr boost of protein, the I have a yogurt with protein granola. That holds me most of the day until lunch which I then eat at about 1pm or sometimes a little later. I will have a protein rich lunch. Yesterday I had a delicious caprese salad with fresh mozerella. The a couple hours later I had 1/4 cup pistachios. Then I had dinner about 6:30 last night. My meals are typically very small but laden with protein and veggies and sometime fruit,

Each doctor has different requirements for pre op diets. I've been sleeved for 5 years. I has 2 weeks liquids and the day before I had to do a GI cleanse. I had to drink an entire gallon of that crap. Yuck. The reasoning behind the liquids is to remove solid wastes from your intestinal tract. Plus the liquid helps to remove excess fat from your liver and spleen and if you have on the gallbladder. If you are having problems doing the liquids. Don't cheat. Just try something different. Frozen coffee. (Freeze decaf into cubes. Add chocolate Protein and low fat milk blend). Instant Frape'. Or. Take vanilla protein add Oj. Blend with ice. Instant creamsicle. Use your imagination. Add Peanut Butter to chocolate protein. Blend. Now you have a Reese shake. I also add yogurt and non red fruit. Liquid also means Soups, lemon, lime Jello and Gatorade. As long as it contains no red dye your fine. You all can do this. Oh and if you need a chewing sensation add more ice. Or use sugar free gum. It really helps.

I am in the early stages and I would also add: nut butters, Popsicles, pudding, V8, Jello, yogurt. Actually, there isn't much difference between my meals and my Snacks.