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I try to stay away from processed crap, but everything is a go. Today I had a Greek yogurt and an Atkins cafe caramel for breakfast, two chicken legs and some tuna for lunch, mixed fruit, hummus, and pita chips for snack/dinner. I will probably have another protein item before bed, but I am pretty much done for the day.

I am almost 6 weeks out and went to a concert and stayed overnight in a hotel. I took a little cooler with protein drinks, cottage cheese and Greek yogurt. However I did find some reasonable options at the restaurants. So used my extras for breakfast and snacks.

Hi, I think beef is very difficult to chew properly, and frankly I think it may be even too early for you to experiment with steaks. You may want to get comfortable with the soft foods first. If you really crave beef then try the meatloaf or Salisbury steak instead. You will need to cut it into very teeny-tiny pieces like a green pea, if you want to eat a beef steak. I have been also worried for a long time that I ate more than I should have. people have reported that they can only eat one cup of food at a time. However, I could always eat 2 cups of food. As long as they are low calorie options (fruits, vegetables, low fat yogurts etc) you may be just fine. For me when I eat my lunch, (I still finished it very quickly, in 10 min), I have to sit and wait 5-10 minutes - I try to browse the internet or read a newspaper until I feel that my stomach is full. Usually, it takes 10-15 minutes for the signal to go from your stomach to your brain and let you know that you are full. If you can manage to wait 5 minutes between "meal courses" you may eventually feel full at some point.

Keep trying different ways of getting in your Protein. Those protein goals take time to build up to so don't panic if you don't meet them right away. Keep trying protein drinks/powders until you find what you like. I tried at least 10 different ones as a trial run pre-op and I've probably gone through another 4 -5 post-op. A few I still have occasionally, but there are 2 I consistently use; Isopure unflavored and CVS whey protein vanilla flavor. I don't think I hit my protein goals until somewhere between weeks 1 and 2 post-op and that was just the basic goal of 60gms. I know hit between 80 - 100 everyday. Unflavored powder that can be mixed with Soups is a nice break from the sweet drinks. Mixing them with Water helps you meet you Fluid goals and lesson the super sweet taste. If you are allowed yogurt, 0% greek yogurt will also cut the sweet taste. Try mixing the Protein Powder with water and a bit of greek yogurt until it's a thinner drinkable consistency. The greek yogurt (I use FAGE 0%) adds a bit more protein and the slightly sour taste will cut some of the sweet of the protein powder.

dannon light&fit yogurt my dietian recomended it i have been eating it every since.

I ate a lot of -Greek yogurt - refried beans** - soup** (I bought a vitamix, and they have FABULOUS pureed soup recipes on their website) - mashed potatoes** - cottage cheese - Egg salad (w/o the celery) - Tuna salad - Pureed, cooked carrots, green beans, edamame, and other veggies! - Protein shakes, I usually had at least 1 per day. ** with added unflavored protein powder

Here's a day for me: Breakfast: 1/4 cup malt-o-meal or oatmeal made with skim milk mid-morning: 1/2 protein shake lunch: cottage cheese with applesauce, refried beans with cheese, cream soup (1/4 cup) mid-afternoon: 1/2 protein shake dinner: chicken and mashed potatoes with a bit of gravy, tuna and a mushy vegetable (carrots, peas) if needed: greek yogurt, SF pudding with protein powder (1/4 cup) I got a sample meal plan from my nut and have been following that---it's been plenty of food, even though it seems like such a tiny amount! The protein shake helps me hit my protein goal.

It's going to be okay. Your nut and dr give rules regarding when to eat certain types of foods because your insides are healing. You made a mistake, now go back to what you were eating. Have you tried yogurt or cottage cheese?

Oh very important make sure the yogurt don't have fruit in them! No chunks

honestly nothing so far! i'm only 8 days out though...but i'm already eating yogurts, puddings, jellos, cream Soups, shakes. the only thing i notice different is that after i have a Protein shake, i have a very sweet taste in my mouth for quite a while until i drink some Water. didn't have this pre-op. i've done the finger dunk thing on many occasions when cooking for the family. yesterday i made Pasta and did the finger dunk into the sauce and taste it for seasoning. also licked my finger after moving bbq from a platter at a party last weekend. really this has been very subconscious but nothing seems different so far...i reported it to my nut but she wasn't too concerned thankfully!

Hi there! I was put on mushies on Day 11 after my surgery and it was a welcome relief. I could eat things that were really soft and mushy and didn't really require much in the way of chewing. . .like refried Beans, soft scrambled egg, Peanut Butter, cottage cheese, yogurt etc. I went home from the hospital (after 3 days) on pureed foods so was only on Clear Liquids just in the hospital. So I was pureeing lots of Soups etc just to get some decent tastes going. It gets so much easier as time goes on. Alot of people told me that but when I was in my first two weeks I thought I would never make it through! But I promise, it really does get better. The most important thing now is to get your liquids in and maybe use some non-flavored Protein powder with everything that you consume to get in the extra protein. One of my favorites now is the Kellogg's K2O drink mix that has 5 grams of protein. I drink 2 of those every day so that takes care of part of my Water intake and also 10 grams of protein. What was the date of your surgery and what diet plan do they have you on? (it seems like every surgeon is a little different with the diet plans)

For breakfast I typically have a half a cup of 2% cottage cheese with a little natural pineapple juice on it and half a banana. For lunch I have soup or fish with a veggie. For dinner I have fish with a veggie or ricotta bake (recipe on here) with a veggie. So far, my veggie of choice has been oven roasted brussell sprouts tossed in olive oil with a little kosher salt. I roast them until they are fairly mushy. For snacks I have Greek yogurt, cheese and/or a fudgesicle. I also drink 2-3 cups of tea in addition to 40-60 oz of water. I should mention that I refuse to consume artificial sweeteners (my opinion is that they are far worse for you than real sugar but I respect others may disagree) so my yogurt, fudgesicle, etc are higher calorie. I try to keep my carbs under 60 grams. I'm 3 weeks post op and have lost 29 lbs.

Refried beans with a little melted cheee & salsa, cottage cheese with salad dressing or salsa or other savory mix-ins (PB2 works well too), Greek yogurt with PB2 stirred in, poached eggs, Shelly's Ricotta Bake. I would also take some meat, puree it with a flavorful sauce, and then heat it up in the microwave with a little shredded cheese on top. I know what you are thinking . . . pureed meat, gross! But when you add something tasty in the food processor and heat it up, it tastes just like a casserole, only without the carby stuff you don't need like rice or noodles. Some of my favorite combos were (just to give you some ideas): ranch-flavor tuna with ranch dressing, sriracha sauce, and pepper jack cheese Shrimp with buffalo wing sauce and bleu cheese Chicken breast with marinara sauce & mozzarella cheese Turkey breast with peanut satay sauce & jack cheese Ground bison with low carb bbq sauce and cheddar cheese Chicken with tikka masala sauce and Swiss cheese Good luck!

Best thing you can do is drink those protein shakes. Some day's they don't taste so good, but it is a quick way to get 23 grams in a hurry. Also try the Greek style yogurt like Chobani where you can get 14 grams of protein in a serving.

Great ideas here so far...here are a couple of mine: Breakfast: oatmeal and 1/2 banana cottage and applesauce frozen whole wheat waffle Cereal with milk (or yogurt cuz Greg swears by it!!!...don;t tell him I said so...but it IS good!!!) Southwestern EggBeaters scrambled cheese and crackers when I am in a hurry Lunch: Tuna to Go package, applesauce chicken salad and crackers Soup at hand by Campbells Dinner: this is the tough one cuz I am starving when I get home lately...waiting for a fill next week...but I try to have veggies and some kinda Protein. Need ideas.

Two weeks out you may still have a little bit of swelling, which can make everything feel more constricted. My surgeon's advice to "eat until satisfied, not full". Sounds like you're doing that. When you get to solid foods, it's easier to measure because you can weight it. I can eat 4-5 oz of tuna salad or chicken salad, 4 oz of chicken, but only 3.5 of steak. Make sure you're getting in at least 64 oz of fluids, and if you're short on Protein, have another shake or a Greek yogurt. Calories aren't an issue because you won't get anywhere near 1,200 for a long time.

It sounds like you have a huge load (no pun intended) on you right now. What I mean is, there are some huge stress factors in your life!!!!! I would like to suggest that you might want to talk to a nutrietionist. Also count those calories!!!! Nachos are my favority cheat too, and I'm not saying to not treat yourself to them, but eat some protien before hand so I don't fill up on the nachos. My band is tighter in the mornings too... so breakfast for me is usually yogurt or soft eggs after a cup of hot coffee. Hot liquids seem to loosen my band a little. There will be ups and downs in weight loss...... but that does not mean you are failing, you have already recognized the weight flux.... now you just need to make a plan to decide where to go from here. As far as your friends weight loss, the band works differently for each person... her journey is her journey, just as yours is yours. You just have had a couple more hills to climb. There are four other banders in the area at my work..... each one has had different weight loss rates. Believe me there is no way that you are a loser (in the bad way)!!!!!! Hang in there, you can do it! Make yourself a small goal, maybe something like a 2 or 3 pound loss by whatever date..... and use every bit of the detmination that I know you have to reach it.. small goals build into larger ones.

Hi All... I'm 3 weeks post-op and I can't keep food down. My 1st week post op seemed so much better than week 3. I placed a call to my surgeon of course, but I'm waiting for a response since it's the weekend. I love this forum because there is so much 1st hand information. Anyways... Week 2 and going on week 3 has been miserable. I can't stand the thought of putting anything in my mouth because of the nausea. I was prescribed an anti-nausea patch, but so far it hasn't worked. I'm just worried because what little I do try to eat won't stay down. I can drink water, but even then I start getting nauseous. I'm not eating too fast either. I took two tiny tiny bites of yogurt this morning and it came up. I just feel so helpless. This is not what I wanted. I want balance and I want to feel healthy. I feel more u. nhealthy now than I did 30 pounds ago pre-op. I'm glad I've lost weight but this is not happiness. I would take back my 30 lbs pounds if it meant that I would feel good physically. Sure I was unhappy with my pre-op weight, but this nausea and physical starvation (not hunger) is making me feel so radically unhealthy and ill. I know everyone says it gets better... but I don't think I can stand much more of this. Do most people have this relentless nausea and disgust towards food? Please know that I'm not trying to be negative, but right now there are no positives. At this point the weight loss isn't worth it. I hope that one day it will be.

Fruit is naturally going to have higher carbs. What I ate/eat: yoplait fat free Greek yogurt (about 1/3 of the container), cottage cheese ( I go all out and buy the large curd) Jack Links jerky tenders ( high in salt, but I'm not going to worry- also only have 1oz at a time) the canned chicken by Tyson is GREAT and super soft. Any veggie if over cooked is great, but I was told to stat away from broccoli, peppers and lettuce until ....? I also LOVE string cheese- smoked is the best. Packed tuna... Different flavors too. I have found that going to the grocery store is beginning to be more fun, discovering foods that I can eat. Plus, I love cheese, so that helps too. You can also do thin sliced deli meats,,, roast beef with a piece of melted provolone on it and some horseradish.... Yum. Shrimp and white fish have lots of protein too. I also stay clear away from potatoes of any sort... Too starchy and full of carbs. Eating carbs make one crave carbs

That's is true . Also if u take Greek yogurt and drain it overnight and add a little evoo the next day, you'll have labaneh . It's our version of yogurt in the "Arab world" lol

One of the things I am doing in anticipation of my VSG surgery is experimenting with foods that will be allowable after the procedure. A few nights back I was taking my walk and found myself craving something sweet. When I got home I took care of the craving by eating 6 ounces of Chobani plain Greek Yogurt. It was one of the most filling things I've ever eaten and the nutrition is good. The taste, however, was not all that good. It reminded me of sour cream, which gave me an idea. Today at the grocery store I picked up some onion Soup mix and when I had my yogurt I tried adding some, effectively making the yogurt taste like onion dip, albeit much more healthy. It was delicious. The onion soup mix does have some carbs so that requires accounting but it's not much and the flavor boost is tremendous.

Greek yogurt is a main part of my diet because it has double the protein. You can add a tiny bit of jam to it and it will taste delicious. It goes down very smoothly and is filling....so I still eat it even though I am on "full foods".

Hi everyone! (Month before shakes 354, pre surgery 309, current weight is 254) So last few days I’ve been doing 400-800 calories, 60+ protein and 40 or less carbs and my full 8 glasses of water a day, I’ve lost 10 pounds in 5 days, which is awesome because I’ve been stalled for a bit, I was 309 prior to surgery and now I’m 354, I wanna get down to 199. I’m 8 months out of surgery, is it possible to lose it by June? I just feel like it’s not gonna come off how it should now because I’ve stalled and haven’t lost as much as I should. I’m just scared and worried it won’t be off before summer because that’s my goal. I’m doing chicken, fish, meat for protein, veggies (made cabbage soup too), cheese, and yogurt (no sugar and I add stevia) i just still feel discouraged. I’m 24 if that also helps. Will the weight still come off quick even though I’m 8 months out?

I can actually get down on the floor now and GET UP BY MYSELF! This is still quite amazing to me. There is a ton of information about WFPB eating online. Go to You Tube and watch "The Game Changers" and "Forks over Knives." That will give you a good idea. Basically it is WHOLE, unprocessed food. That means food as close to its natural state as possible. Whole grains, not refined grains, for example. No processed sugars, no animal products (that includes dairy and eggs), no processed oils (you use avocados, nuts and seeds and nut butters instead.) LOTS and LOTS of veggies and fruit, plenty of starchy veggies, lots of legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, no alcohol, no soda or artificial colors/flavors/chemicals, decreased salt. Many WFPB folks also avoid gluten (wheat, rye, barley) and I am highly sensitive to it, so have already avoided that for years. I get more than enough protein, tons of fibers and phytonutrients, eat all I want, am never hungry, have tons of energy, and am NEVER sore after workouts. Amazingly, my cholesterol always hovered around 225-235, even after losing over 100 pounds. Once I went WFPB, my cholesterol dropped like a rock to 152 (80 points!!!). My triglycerides and LDL also plummeted. Even with the low total cholesterol, my HDL went up to 80. For me, it is a lifestyle that I will maintain for life. It is change, for sure, but not actually hard to do. Most of my family is making the switch as well. You don't have to go 100%, either. When you look at the areas of the world (the blue zones) where people live to be over 100 and have virtually no cardiac disease, osteoporosis, dementia, cancer, or diabetes, these are all plant based societies. Does this mean they won't eat some fish or cassowary eggs if they find them? No. But animal protein is the exception or reserved for celebrations. They don't eat meat 3 times a day like most of the western world does. I will occasionally eat an egg (my own backyard chickens) or a little wild game meat. (The more I learn about commercially raised cattle, hogs, chickens, turkeys and dairy cows, the more I cannot bring myself to eat these products.) So there you go - probably more info than you wanted. I started this about 6 months after my surgery as I learned about it and once I was able to eat the volume that is required. I had to rely a bit more on the grains and nuts to keep my calories up so I wouldn't keep losing weight. I used pea protein powder as needed to keep my protein up. I don't need that now, with the increased legumes, tofu, tempeh, and soy/oat milk and yogurt. Now I eat a lot more of the veggies and legumes, and control my weight very easily with decreasing/increasing the grains and nuts. I did gain 8 pounds of COVID weight, but have lost all of it and some extra, just by cutting back a bit on the nuts and grains. It really couldn't be easier!

I am 4 weeks out and am wondering why I get hungry so soon after I eat. If I eat a yogurt, I will be full but within an hour or hour and half, I am hungry and my stomach is growling. Can anyone clue me in on this?