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I had surgery that day too! Haven't met protein goals yet. Can't stand the protein shakes, so added Greek yogurt and that's helping. Good luck!

I was always a breakfast skipper pre-op, and when I did eat breakfast it was rarely traditional breakfast foods. I usually have a Syntrax Cappuccino iced for breakfast now... but when I have solid food it is still odd stuff. I tend to reverse my lunch and breakfast that I take to work. I will eat the chicken fajitas around 8:00 and then grab the yogurt for lunch. I have eaten Tilapia, the inside of a shrimp taco, Zuchinni lasagna, etc... for breakfast. I think I eat what I had planned to be lunch because I am hungry at breakfast time now. (which undoubtedly has to do with not having the 2-3 cups of coffee I used to need for a morning boost!)

When did you all have pasta? Is small amounts okay? Whats your go to meal at 5 weeks post-op? I'm alowly running out of ideas for when going out to eat and cooking at home?? The eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, melba toast and soup ain't cutting it anymore.....ideas anyone? Thanks!!

I started this journey about the middle of 2014. My insurance required that I have a 6 month doctor supervised diet. I was able to go to the dietician and she reported to my PCP. I saw the actual surgeon for the first time in January. I had a attended an informational meeting back before I started the 6 month wait that the doctor spoke at. So I was familiar with him. The staff at the weight loss center was very good and informative. I had my lap band surgery Feb. 20, 2015. I went in on a Friday for the procedure and was home by noon that day. I had very little pain and did not use any pain medication. I did have the referred pain in my Left shoulder that lasted about a week. It was pretty intense at times and I used tylenol. Helped a little! My surgeon required a 10 day liquid diet prior to the surgery. This was mainly Protein shakes, juices, broth, SF Jello, and popscicles. That was tough. I just kept telling myself, "You can do anything for 10 days". I lost 11 lbs before I even had the surgery. The worst part is I got tired of everything being sweet. I did get some V8 and tomato juice and drank broth. That helped some. I also quit drinking diet soda and caffeine. I drink tea and SF lemonade mostly now. After, the surgery I was on a liquid diet for one day and then could have full liquids or mushy foods like Cereal soaked in milk mushy! Protein Shakes, yogurt, Soup, etc. It was then I really grieved for food. I wanted something real to eat sooo bad. I was eating around 600to 800calories per day and I was not losing much weight. Couldn't figure that out, except my body was in starvation mode and was afraid I was going to die! Finally, I progressed back to real food. about 2 weeks later. I had my first fill at about 2 and half weeks out. I have had a fill every 2 weeks since and had one this week and I finally think I am getting somewhere. I can eat about 6 oz of food now and not get hungry for 4-5 hours. I was getting worried as I was getting hungry too soon. Hoping for the best. I have lost 21 lbs since surgery, 10 weeks out now.

style="margin:0;padding:0;background-color:#d8dde8;color:#5a5a5a;font:normal 13px helvetica, arial, sans-serif;position:relative;"> Hey BariatricPal Members! It’s May, which means the weather’s beautiful and the first fresh greens of the season are starting to appear in farmer’s markets. Maybe it’s even time to start to think about your goals for the summer! Before you do, though, why not take a look through the BariatricPal newsletter. It’s packed with inspiration and tips so you can you’re your weight loss surgery journey going strong – or get it back on track. Here’s what you’ll find in this month’s newsletter. Going on around the BariatricPal Boards Member Spotlight in the Newsletter – Meet Djmohr! Summer Fun, Summer food – Are You Ready? Enjoy the newsletter, then logon to BariatricPal and talk about it. We can’t wait to see you on the boards! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal Weigh in on the Board’s Hottest Topics! Whether it’s to help out a WLS buddy in need of advice or encouragement, or you need to ask your own urgent questions, there’s always something of interest at BariatricPal. Recently, gastric sleeve patient Smye decided to generously share some of his WLS recipes in a thread he called, “Real Food, Real Weight Loss, Still Delicious.” Check these ideas out. They can inspire unimaginative WLS patients and gourmet chefs alike. Thank you, Smye, for sharing your ideas and for including the nutritional values, too! If you’re looking to give a little advice, there are plenty of BariatricPal members who need it! How about a little insight to help out a young lady who is considering WLS but worried about getting saggy skin? Or a few tips to help someone get over a serious stall? Considering skin removal surgery? Of course, if you’re looking to compare notes on weight loss surgery and related topics, or you just want to chat, there’s plenty of conversations for you, too. How many carbs do you eat per day…or do you only count Protein? Have you developed a replacement addiction for food? Want to become a pen pal who exchanges goodie boxes with another BariatricPal member? There’s something for everyone, so be sure to log in regularly! Insure Nutrition We are always thrilled to welcome a new newsletter sponsor into the BariatricPal family, and this month, Insure Nutrition is giving us the pleasure of doing just that. Our latest sponsor, Insure Nutrition, is an online company that specializes in getting health insurance coverage for nutritional supplements. Its Post-Bariatric Surgery Nutrition products includes Premier Protein shakes in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors and OptiSource High Protein drinks in caramel and strawberry flavors. Checking if you are eligible is easy. Insure Nutrition encourages you to use its online form to find out if you qualify. Our sponsors help make BariatricPal newsletters and other services possible. We encourage you show your thanks by considering them first for your bariatric needs. unjury and Opurity BariatricPal is proud and excited to announce two new sponsors for our newsletters. The new sponsors are Unjury, a supplier of wonderful tasting, highest quality protein supplements, and Opurity (from the makers of UNJURY), highest purity Vitamin supplements for bariatric surgery patients. Their support lets us keep BariatricPal newsletters coming to you each month. Unjury was founded by a master’s degree dietitian who has been helping patients since 1974. It is committed your health. You know the importance of getting enough protein after weight loss surgery, but you also know that meeting your protein goals can be challenging. Unjury makes your task not just easier but actually enjoyable. Product flavors include Chocolate Splendor, Chocolate Classic, Vanilla, Strawberry Sorbet, chicken Soup Flavor, and Unflavored. These ready-to-use protein powders come in single-serve and multi-serve containers, and contain high-quality whey protein to keep you full and nourished. Launched in 2007, Opurity is dedicated to using the purest ingredients in its supplements. Opurity Bariatric Multivitamins have two unique big advantages: First, each Multivitamin requires only one tablet per day*. Second, Opurity is so dedicated to quality that it is unique in using no ingredients from China. Choose from chewable orange-berry multivitamins for gastric bypass and gastric sleeve patients or for lap-band patients.Opurity also sells chewable Calcium, Vitamin D and folic acid/vitamin B-12 chewables. All supplements come with a 100% satisfaction guaranteed. They return policy is: “Yes you can return it.” Support from Unjury and Opurity helps us continue to bring you the services you enjoy on BariatricPal, so please support these two brands! When looking for your bariatric surgery supplements, first visit Unjury.com and Opurity.com. Purchasing from these companies helps support BariatricPal. Thanks to Unjury and Opurity for your generous sponsorship, and thanks to BariatricPal members who support our partnership! *You still need calcium and sublingual B-12. BP Deals: Affordable WLS Plus Support If you have insurance, you know which surgeon is going to do your weight loss surgery, and you’re sure you’ll have enough post-surgery support, read no further. If you’re still looking for a weight loss surgeon, keep reading. If you want weight loss surgery and think you’re going to be paying out of pocket, you might be wondering about Medical Tourism – getting your surgery done in another country. Thousands of patients travel across the border each year to get medical procedures done safely and for lower cost than at home. But how do you know which surgeons are trustworthy? How can you find a medical facility where the nurses speak English? How do you reserve accommodations and transportation? Where do you even begin? May we suggest BariatricPal Deals? It’s a way to get your bariatric surgery done for a lower price that we’ve negotiated for you. We’re confident the price is as low as possible because we’ve cut the middle man and bargained to get a bulk rate that you wouldn’t be able to get on your own. You don’t have to worry about reservations, appointments, and other details. We do it for you. We hand-picked the bariatric surgeons that work in our BariatricPal Deals program. Each is a top surgeons in Mexico. Your package includes: Lowest possible, all-inclusive prices. Gastric sleeve, gastric plication, gastric bypass, mini-gastric bypass, gastric sleeve revision, or gastric bypass revision surgery. Ground transportation, medical and surgical fees, hospital stay, and recovery condo stay included. Bilingual medical staff, wi-fi, cable television, and phone calls home included. You can discuss the program on the BariatricPal Deals Forum and get started with a free Skype consultation today. We would be thrilled to be the ones to guide you through your WLS journey! Member Spotlight in the Newsletter – Meet Djmohr! This month, we are pleased to feature Djmohr from Pewaukee, Wisconsin in our Member Spotlight section! Djmohr says she had been struggling with her weight since the birth of her second child…32 years ago! “That is a lot of yo yo dieting!” Djmohr had watched her mother die at age 66 from diabetes and sleep apnea complications. She herself was struggling with life-threatening health issues, including psoriatic arthritis, degenerative spine disease, Severe GERD, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, hypothyroidism, high cholesterol, and severe migraines. The final straw was her diagnosis of stage 3 kidney disease. She got her roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery in September of 2014. Djmohr considers herself lucky, since her family has been supportive. Her highest weight was 310 pounds. Since surgery, she has lost nearly 100 lb., and she has a goal of 165 lb. Things have gone so well she says her biggest challenge has been to occasionally stop talking about her surgery with other people! Her health has improved dramatically, with diabetes, high cholesterol, and kidney disease all resolved! She’s sleeping better, and is off pain, cholesterol and diabetes medications. She still has arthritis, but pushes through the pain and gets her workouts in. Djmohr says she feels better afterwards when she does get her exercise in, but doesn’t always hit her goals. She loves being able to keep up with family, and not be the one to hold them back anymore. She’s traveled with them to Las Vegas, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico since her surgery. Shopping is a pleasure now. Djmohr is grateful to have BariatricPal to visit every day to give and receive support. As she hits the 7-month post-op mark, she’s ready to put more effort into helping others the way she was helped before. She’s still focused on meeting the challenges of maintenance, though. Djmohr’s advice is to follow your doctor’s plan. It will help avoid complications, which will make the journey easier and will help you lose weight. Thanks, Djmohr, for being in our member spotlight! It is a pleasure to see the success of people like you who are positive and eager to give back! Good luck as you approach goal weight and maintenance! Let us know if you want to be in the Member Spotlight in the newsletter. Nominate yourself or someone else in the member spotlight forum or by sending a private message to Alex Brecher. We want to hear from you! Summer Fun, Summer Food: Are You Ready? Summer is around the corner, and summer activities are coming up fast. There may be trips to the beach, days at the mall, hikes, and vacations in your future. This could be your most active summer yet if you’ve lost weight recently and gotten into better shape. Are you ready to keep up the healthy habits to match the hard work you’ve already put in? Pack a Picnic For a family picnic, include plenty of high-protein, low-calorie options. The whole family can enjoy foods like hard-boiled eggs, celery with Peanut Butter, tuna salad made with Greek yogurt, or coleslaw made with Asian vinaigrette. Include in your picnic basket fruits and vegetables to munch on, whether it’s carrot sticks, grapes, or oranges. For a barbecue, include some turkey burgers or veggie burgers, and skip the bun. Fend for Yourself If you’re going on a day-long outing, make sure you think about your food ahead of time. There will be times when the family has lunch somewhere that does not have great options for your weight loss surgery diet. Think about the hot dog vendor on the beach or the snack stand at the fair…nope, fried anything-on-a-stick is not on your WLS diet! That’s when you whip out your beef Jerky, a low-fat cheese stick (string cheese), or your pre-measured serving of trail mix. Hope you’re getting ready to enjoy your healthiest summer yet! Keep on visiting BariatricPal so you can stay on track and get ideas for making the most of your efforts to lose weight and get healthy.

I'm one week and one day post op. Everything went great !! Dr. Rod and his team were amazing ! I am however glad it's over and I'm home and doing good. I still get very tired in the afternoons and I get a lot of headaches but Iv been on nothing but clear liquids for the first week. I'm finally now adding some yogurt and will start protein shakes tomorrow. I'm actually terrified to eat but I'm trying to work though. Surgery wise I felt fine after some very uncomfortable gas and discomfort around the drain area. I went back to work on Tuesday and other than fatigue I was okay. My incisions are healing nicely and I have no pain in that area and it may sound crazy but I feel like my insides are healing well too ! So far so good, I have no complaints.

Hi there, the links below in my signature are ones that helped me as I was trying to understand how the band works and how to work the band. I think people develop individual practices based on what their bodies are signalling -- and that is what it's all about, learning how to hear and then listen to your body. We are all different. I don't eat in the morning because I am not hungry yet. I wait until mid-day when my body says, Hey, food! And believe it or not I can now welcome that hunger after all those years of being terrified of it. Hunger is not the enemy. My body is not the enemy. Boy, does it feel great to be able to say that. I am not on a diet but I do make very careful choices. Protein is where it's at. I love yogurt but for me that would be a slider unless I add some mix-ins -- healthy ones, and I use the yogurt cup itself so I can't put in too much. I need the few seeds, nuts and flakes to chunk up the yogurt so I have to chew it -- to get those signals as mentioned above. We all have our favorite meals, the things we know we need to be able to eat to know that our bands are working well. Mine is salmon and broccoli. That is a good healthy meal for me. It's a small meal, which is the miracle of the band. I have to be a little careful of broccoli and chew everything like crazy, which is where the satiety signal comes from. You will get there -- and meanwhile it sounds like you're working hard to be on the job of knowing your band and getting healthy. Congratulations on choosing yourself and your healthy future. The band has changed my life and I am forever grateful. But on a day like today when I thought, "oh, an ice cream cone would be nice," I had to override that and remind myself that I don't do that anymore.

I wasn't allowed yogurt my first week (it is considered full liquids on my plan) but I was allowed: Premier Protein Popsicles Jello ProtiDiet liquid beverage concentrates ProtiDiet chicken and tomato soups Broth/bouillon

A few days out, protein shakes and yogurt were pretty much the only things I was allowed (along with water, of course). I was also allowed broth. I strained different kinds of broth-based soups, rather than just having plain broth for the extra flavor.

After my surgery I could never drink the protein shakes. I still can't. I am 11 weeks post op. Right after my surgery I barely drank protein. I waited until I got to the puréed stage and I would eat cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, puréed beans, and I even puréed certain meats. I just tried to get as much of those high protein foods in. Skim milk has like 9 grams per serving. I would try and drink milk as much as possible even though I hate it. I still don't get enough protein. I try but I can't only eat so much meat. I have actually began to hate meat. I want to become a vegetarian but I would never get any protein because I can't stand the shakes lol.

If you really can't stomach any shakes, ask your Dr if you can add yogurt to milk.

I guess 4 weeks post-op is the protocol here at Mayo. @@KalelsWifey - I don't have staples. I was sewn from the inside and they put surgical glue on the outside. The glue came off a couple of days ago and my incisions are barely noticeable. I have no pain and feel amazing! Yesterday I started my week 2 menu (thick pourables) and have added a coconut & vanilla yogurt smoothie (2 Dannon Lite & Fit coconut vanilla Greek yogurts + 1/2 cup Premier vanilla protein shake in the NutriBullet makes 4 servings) that is to die for. Today, while at Sam's Club, I picked up the 2 pack container of Panera Bread Loaded Baked Potato soup. I mixed 1 cup soup with 1 cup 1% milk in my NutriBullet which makes 4 - 1/2 cup servings. I had 1/2 cup for lunch and it was so delicious. I don't know what I'd do without my NutriBullet. My caloric intake has been averaging around 475 and I'm easily getting 61-63 grams of protein every day I track all my meals with My Fitness Pal. They have a wonderful Recipe tab where you can put in ingredients and make your own recipes. Then they do all of the nutrition calculations for you. Week 3 I go to a mechanically altered diet. Then I will make my Magic Crust Quiche. I put all of the ingredients in yesterday and a serving will yield: calories 126, protein 11 g, fat 6 g, carbs 7 g, sugar 2 g sodium 116 mg. I'd love to hear if anyone else has any tasty recipes. This is our new lifestyle and I want to live it to the fullest!!!

I just had surgery a few days ago and have been living on protein water and yogurt... I need ideas of other things to make for some reason only ice cold things sit well with me. Thanks. All ideas appreciated.

@@virgogirl67 I like the idea of the greek yogurt and Crystal Light mix! I don't buy Crystal light, so I will substitute with my vanilla Protein powder. I started my liquid diet Monday April 27th and have already lost 10lbs!!! here are a few things I am currently eating. Mind you this is a full liquid pre-op diet my surgeon suggested I start one week before surgery. (My surgery date is May 7th) Well a typical day goes like this: 2 packs of instant grits (quaker) 2 eggwhites (NO salt-little pepper) EAS Advantagedge carb control no sugar (doesn't have much flavor but it's awesome-bought at Sam's) 4 oz prune juice-sugar free sugar free snack pack pudding (butterscotch or chocolate) Motts blueberry applesauce (sugar free) 2 packs of instant grits EAS ADVANTAGEDE WOW that seems like a lot but I haven't ever gone over 1,000 calories I also use MyFittness pal so I know my intake on carbs and sugars. Tuesday May 5th I will start the clear liquid diet and have already bought the knorr broth thanks for that suggestion wannaBthinsoon

There are a lot of commercially available shakes out there-- Premier Protein, Muscle Milk Light, and GNC Lean all come to mine. My personal favorite I make myself: 1 cup skim milk 1 5 oz container of Dannon light and fit greek yogurt (your choice of flavor) handful of berries (optional) Put it in the blender and it is a wonderful thick shake and over 20 gm of protein. Good Luck.

@@Jerr_Bear - This works for non meat eaters as well. I just get BeyondMeat crumbles. To @@JennG25 - You can really eat just about anything. Just keep it simple and make sure it's moist. eggs cooked any way you like them. Also greek yogurt really is a power house. I add a scoop of Protein powder and let it chill to a pudding consistency.

I leave for work every day at early-thirty so for Breakfast most days lately I have at my desk either a string cheese and a few triscuts or a greek yogurt with pecans. Sometimes if I'm on the ball and have boiled eggs the night before I will have a boiled egg. For lunch I pretty much always take whatever dinner leftovers I had from the night before. Here is a dinner idea and go to this website for a ton of great recipes from a bariatric surgery patient who loves to cook! http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ Lime Shrimp and Avocado salad 1 lb jumbo cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined, chopped 1 medium tomato, diced 1 avocado diced 1 jalepeno, seeded and diced fine ¼ c chopped red onion 2 limes 1 t olive oil 1 T chopped cilantro Salt and pepper In small bowl mix onion, juice of the limes, olive oil, and pinch of salt and pepper. Let marinate for 5 min. In a larger bowl mix other ingredients and then toss lightly with dressing.1 jalapeno, seeds removed, diced fine 1/4 cup chopped red onion 2 limes, juice of 1 tsp olive oil 1 tbsp chopped cilantro salt and fresh pepper to taste Directions In a small bowl combine red onion, lime juice, olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper. Let them marinate at least 5 minutes to mellow the flavor of the onion. In a large bowl combine chopped shrimp, avocado, tomato, jalapeno. Combine all the ingredients together, add cilantro and gently toss. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

I agree with Kate try and eat yogurt and almonds instead of shakes as these will give you that full feeling.

Ground turkey, greek yogurt, string cheese, cottage cheese, chicken cooked in the crockpot, tuna, hard boiled eggs, avocado, turkey burger, turkey bacon, salmon, broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes, kale, chickpeas, watermelon, berries... pick a protein and pair it with a veg and or fruit. mix things up to keep it interesting. instead of sour cream - use non fat plain greek yogurt. be patient with introducing new foods to your new tiny tummy. I'm full of ideas - let me know if you need any recipe ideas...I've got a ton!

This was a big relief to read. I am just over 3 weeks, and getting between 700 to 900 cals a day. Even adding up my minimal diet it is 710, and I hear some people even saying to do 500 a day. I could see 500 pre op liquid diet, but not now. Egg with cheese, Protein shakes with skim milk, and a yogurt a day. On occasion I eat a baby food thing of prunes to help with the constipation. this forum is so helpful.

If you're referring to post-op, as Fireflea says, you should be focusing on getting in your Protein and Water FIRST. I avoided any fruit (other than the occasional strawberry or two chopped up in my high protein yogurt) for the first 9 months post-op. Fruit does have nutritional value, but to your body it is basically candy that grows on trees. Stick with non-starchy vegetables and you will get just as many nutrients without the sugar load.

@@jersey_girl_86 ....I know EXACTLY how you feel....I felt like I was dying after surgery because I could take in soo little and I was soooo weak....GATORADE was and is my life blood... (obviously you want to be drinking mostly water but I needed electrolytes) talk to your DR about it but I'm telling you it helped me soooo much.....hope you are feeling better soon.....I was on protein shakes for 3 weeks post op and after that started with eggs yogurt mashed potatoes cottage cheese oatmeal and regular cheese...the more I diversified my diet the better I have felt...although I do HIGHLY recommend some type of stool softener/laxative etc once you start eating foods because I experienced a LOT of pain due to not being able to go to the bathroom...........anyways talk to your DR and see about Gatorade for electrolytes hope you are feeling better soon

im a month out of my VSG ive been dealing with a little Heart burn & i haven't been getting that many calories in my diet.mostly a premier Protein in the morning, a greek yogurt in the middle of the day & Water. im defiantly not getting enough water... and my protein intake generally ave around 42 grams. i feel fine but im worried their may be a prob such a low cal intake.

Have you tried this? Is it the unflavored really as great as I've read other places online? I have a milk allergy. I was told not to be concerned with this one? Should I just wait til my consult? I am trying to make smoothies for breakfast. I already have all the fruit, yogurt, and small bags. Where to start?

For my 2 week preop diet, they have me doing 1shake for breakfast and one for lunch then a healthy meal for dinner...I am doing Smart Ones for that...plus my nutritionist told me if I am still getting really hungry I can do up to 3 small snacks a day...like lf yogurt, cheese stick, 1oz. of meat...stuff like that