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I had chewables for all my supplements in the beginning (not the gummy kind, more the texture of those Kids' Flintstones vites) and it made me gag too, so those got tossed and I just did the pill/tablets. I had trouble with my calcium tablet though, I would get nauseous if I took it on an empty stomach, so I buried it in a spoonful of yogurt each time. Then I discovered these. They taste like little chocolate caramels. They are 17 cals each though, but totally worth it. I took 2 a day back when I was still taking supplements.

I was always a water a drinker but I do find it harder to drink now which is weird. It’s the gas in carbonated drinks that is the main concern post bariatric surgery. That and the possibility you’ll switch to the high sugar versions. But with all things on this journey, you have to find what works for you. So if you want to have some soda all you can do is try it & see if it has any adverse affects. Your choice. I gave up sodas years ago. Mainly as the gas gave me terrible hiccups. Never went down the ‘diet’ alternative route for the same reason & because they still feed your craving & desire for sweet. Now there’s info coming out that artificial sweeteners can cause weight gain - body tastes sweet but because there’s no calories to burn it holds on to whatever calories you have eaten. It gets you whichever way you turn! Actually not drinking soda does limit your choices when you go out. I used to have to shrug & say guess I’ll have to have wine - lol!! I have a large mug of green tea every day (400ml) & will pour myself a large glass (400ml) of sparkling water in the morning & let it sit so it goes flat: no gas but the minerally taste remains. I slowly sip on it through out the day in addition to still water. I used to buy a hi protein drinking yogurt which was yummy but a lot of stores don’t stock it anymore - sigh. If I have a gin & tonic, maybe once a month, I stir it frequently to release some of the gas & sip it very slowly.

I had surgery on the 1st and I don’t start protein shake until the 15th. I was told to be on liquid diet for two weeks post GS here. I think you are still supposed to be doing liquid diet if your surgery was the 9th ie Gatorade Zero, popsicles, broths 1 once of Greek yogurt daily.

I'm 12 days post op, 5 days on pureed. Like you, I've had eggs, yogurt, tuna,pureed my own fruit, and v8 tomatoes juice. All have been very well with me. Today I am tired of eggs so I had sugar free oatmeal, went well. Later today I plan on homemade guacamole (obviously no chips or bread), and some leftover tuna salad I have (pureed). My NUT is not letting me have smoothies or fruit yet because of the carbs. She said my focus must be hydration and protein. I'm excited for my guac though, hehe.

I've had tuna, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, yogurt, and cream of wheat. I don't find anything appealing to eat even when I'm hungry. Are there any savory food choices to make this phase bearable?

My surgery was 1/28. My recovery was AWFUL. I threw up basically non stop for about 36 hours. Dry heaving after that procedure is so much fun. None of the nausea meds worked. I had to beg them to knock me out so I could sleep. So I got off to a really bad start. Now I’m more than 2 weeks out. I have not been able to tolerate much in the way of anything. I can only sip an ounce of a protein shake at a time and then I have to lay down until my stomach stops hurting. It’s essentially easier for me to just not eat. Best guess, I’m getting maybe 300 calories a day. Nowhere near 64oz of water or 60g of protein. I’m closer to 36oz of water and maybe 20g of protein. I’m eating yogurt and blended soups. Super watered down retried beans. I’ve nibbled on some crackers with a sip of water and they actually seem to go down way easier than anything else. I guess carbs are easier to digest. I don’t need a lecture on following the diet. I’ll worry about where the calories are coming from when I can actually eat. I’m definitely losing weight as the calorie deficit is so huge right now. I’m just wondering if anyone else is having such a hard time getting anything in. I don’t throw anything back up. I just cannot take more than 3 tiny bites or 1-2 sips at a time and then I have to lay down for 10 mins to digest. I cant spend all day repeating that cycle.

I eat cottage cheese, nut butter, and yogurt as snacks to get protein. You could also try soft fish. It has a lot of protein in it.

Not a good idea. I also attempted real food at week 3 and that was sugar free plain yogurt because I couldn't stomach the texture of eggs. I believe I could eat watered down oatmeal as well week 3. Didn't your surgeon provide any post-surgery guidelines? If not, I would contact the office and request it.

Wow those are great ideas! I asked my NUT for suggestions on the pureed meat and she said "why eat something that looks like cat food when you can drink your protein?" And I thought well okay. So I've been living off of v8 with some lime and salt. Scrambled with yogurt and mozzarella. And triple zero greek yogurt. I think I'm going to try the pureed tuna/chicken today. I was told I could have peanut butter. I attempted a baby spoon of smooth creamy peanut butter mixed with yogurt and instantly I felt blockage, so that was a no-go for me. I tried checking pinterest for recipes and all that comes up are soft diets and I wont start soft stage till March.

Hi, pancakes yum. How much protein would them 5 give you? I have 6 tablespoons of Greek yogurt, three eggs and some berries in it every morning. It gives me around 30 grams to start the day. I do not know what else to have that gives you high protein. I do not have protein powder, my surgeon here in Tasmania thinks it is not a good habit to get into. I have not really cooked anything, basically living off yogurt, prawns, tuna, cottage cheese as I feeling sick and heavy in the chest all the time. I had my op in August, second one to remove gallbladder and stretch the bowel a little so I do not get malnourished again 6 weeks ago. Any advice please

There are a bunch of them out there. I just wing it and put half a cup of oatmeal in my little smoothie blender with three egg whites, maybe 1/4 cup cottage cheese, a half a teaspoon of baking powder, and a glob of greek yogurt. If it's too dry, I add more yogurt and sometimes a little almond milk. After the batter rests for a few minutes it will get very thick as the oats suck up the fluid. I make silver dollar pancakes and eat about 5 and put the rest in the freezer. This recipe is awesome with blueberries. Maple Grove Farms sugar free syrup is 5 calories a serving and isn't bad! I also love them with home made apple butter made with Splenda instead of sugar.

If you can stand bone broth (add some stuff for flavor) it can be helpful. The caramel protein shakes are great in coffee. I liked the protein bars, particularly the chocolate delux ones. I liked boiled potatoes with lowfat shredded cheese, refried beans with cheese and salsa, tofu, rotissiere chicken (SOFT), soft baked fish. I really loved frozen greek yogurt bars (Yasso makes a great one). Also, protein pancakes were a tremendous favorite. (you make the batter with oatmeal, cottage cheese, egg whites, baking powder, greek yogurt in blender)

That early on, I think it’s very difficult to meet your protein goal without protein powder/shakes and protein-fortified foods. My go-to breakfast is half a container of Greek yogurt with half a scoop of protein powder for a total of 19 grams of protein. You can also mix unflavored protein powder into a lot of things like soups, refried beans, etc. I sometimes use Quest protein chips for a protein boost (I make taco bites using 1/3 of a bag of protein chips + taco meat + lettuce, tomato, and plain Greek yogurt, or put crushed protein chips on a salad). Since you can only eat small quantities, you have to eat mainly protein (typically meat). There’s not much room for anything else, even vegetables. I am 6 months out and still find it challenging to get 60 grams of protein per day. I still use protein powder every day. Part of it is that I don’t eat between meals; I guess if you snack throughout the day, you can probably work in some more protein, but I’m trying not to fall back into bad habits.

I'm so glad y'all brought this up - how on earth do you figure out what feeling means what?! I have no idea if I'm full or not. Today I had a Tbs of greek yogurt twice today and I really couldn't tell you if it made me full. I *think* hunger feels like a wave of a stomach cramp (though the signal definitely does not get to my head). I know when I need to slow down on liquids, but it mostly feels like gas followed by a painful burp. I get all sorts of random pains or gurgles or squeezes - often when I'm not drinking or eating anything. But other than hunger, nothing feels like it used to or makes much sense at this point. I do know anything other than FairLife CorePower is so sweet it makes me want to hurl.

And see I cant hold down the shakes, but pre surgery I could. So all I had for 7 days was protein2o and greek yogurt. I pureed some peaches earlier that I hope to have for dinner, so we'll see how that fills me. I dont think it will though. It's like baby food. But who knows.

I use Bariatric fusion unflavored protein powder low fat Greek yogurt and fairlife skim milk with strawberries and bananas 1/2 cup and kale. Sent from my U693CL using BariatricPal mobile app

In the first pic, I’m the one on the right side of the photo. I was already a mother of 4 wonderful kids, but I was miserable & very unhappy with my weight. I was insecure and embarrassed at how far I had let myself go. So, I started doing 5k runs to help myself lose weight. Being active was never a problem. I was disciplined enough to get out on a track, do step aerobics, or walk/run some bleachers. However, it was my relationship with food that was the problem. When I started my journey to get the sleeve, my surgeon said something that stayed with me: “The sleeve will guarantee weight loss in your first year out, but YOU have to utilize that time to CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE in order to maintain that weight loss.” Folks...that is EXACTLY what I did. I changed my eating habits. The sleeve forced my hand with QUANTITY, but I learned about QUALITY nutrition for my body. I completely changed my dietary habits! I got rid of all my trigger foods (and believe me that most of them were/are sliders!) and filled my fridge & pantry with lean meats, veggies, fresh fruits, complex carbs. And as the weight came off, I started lifting weights (heavy weights) to totally recomp my figure. And as the years went by and my stomach stretched and the quantity of food I was able to consume increased, I learned to time my meals and seek out fulfilling recipes that were also satisfying. Foods like: Greek yogurt (with a scoop of protein), topped with fresh fruits; zucchini noodles with chicken & Alfredo sauce; eggs, egg whites topped with fresh veggies like mushrooms, onion, spinach, cheese, with an added side of turkey bacon; zucchini noodles with spaghetti sauce & turkey meat; turkey patties topped with gravy & mushrooms and a side of green beans; turkey chili topped with cheese and a small bag of Fritos; pancakes/waffles made from oats, banana, eggs, olive oil, cinnamon (I add Protein powder as an option, and a sugar free seasoning call Honey Butter & Cinnamon by Icon), and topped with whipped cream, fresh fruits, and sugar free syrups (like Walden Farms); I’ll cook with low calorie marinades (like G. Hughes) and seasonings that are low in sodium and/or sugar free (like Icon) to add flavor and diversity with out tons of calories.  Folks! Life changing!!! I CHOOSE to eat well. I CHOOSE to exercise 5-6 days a week. I CHOOSE my lifestyle. I still eat foods that are not “health” conscious, but I’m in control now. I can eat them without over indulging or losing control. I even drink beer a few nights out of the month. My lifestyle choices have led me down a path in which I’m so much happier! I feel strong, confident, and in control! I’m in a better place mentally, and because of that, I’m a much better parent to my kids! Change is possible, folks. The sleeve is a tool, but you’re the one in control. 

I had my sleeve 2/4 and all I can hold down is greek yogurt and crystal light water.

I feel nauseous almost every day as well. I’m thinking it’s these crazy supplements you chew or dissolve in your mouth - it’s a lot of “fake sugar right off the bat. I don’t know if that’s it or not, but not taking capsules you don’t have much choice. My multi, my biotin, B1, B12, and then there’s magnesium, fiber/probiotic. All with fake sugars. Not to mention my yogurt, and anything I bake......oatmeal? I hadn’t thought of that - might just try that!

Before my surgery, I ordered a lot of different samples of protein powder, and IdealFit was my favorite. I love mixing the birthday cake with yogurt, and the chocolate brownie, chocolate coconut, and mint chocolate are good to drink. I have my eye on the chocolate cherry and butter pecan, but unfortunately, those aren't available in sample sizes and I'm not sure I want to commit to a huge tub without tasting it first. I also got some interesting flavors from 1up Nutrition, Northbound Nutrition (Waves of Whey), KetoShop, and Black Magic Supply. They all have single-serving samples so you don't have to buy a whole tub.

I'm surprised I didn't get very many responses about this, but I guess if you don't live in the middle of nowhere, a trip to Trader Joe's is not a big event 😀. I found some product recommendations on keto web sites and YouTube videos. Here's my haul: They didn't have several of the items on my list, and there were a few things I didn't buy because they seemed way overpriced, but here's what I got (some of it is just general grocery items just to save me a trip to another store): Meat Individually frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs ($7.99) Ground chicken ($3.79) Ground turkey ($2.99) Pork tenderloin ($4.15) Chile lime chicken burgers ($3.69) Chicken sausage ($3.99) Produce Spaghetti squash ($2.99) Organic romaine bagged salad ($2.69) Heavenly tomatoes ($2.79) Head of garlic ($.49) Organic ginger ($1.79) Frozen Frozen green beans ($1.99) Frozen asparagus ($2.99) Frozen raspberries ($2.49) Pantry Avocado oil ($5.99) Kalamata olive oil ($8.99) Sesame oil ($2.99) Rice vinegar ($1.99) Salsa Autentica ($1.99) Salsa Verde ($1.99) Sundried tomatoes ($1.99) Masala simmer sauce ($2.69) Almond flour ($7.49) Snacks Chomps jerky ($1.69) Quest Hero bar ($1.99) Power Crunch bar ($1.49) Freeze-dried raspberries ($3.99) Refrigerated Plain nonfat Greek yogurt ($.99) Green goddess salad dressing ($3.99) Spicy cashew salad dressing ($3.99) I've only tried a few of these items so far. I love the green goddess salad dressing; it's only 10 calories per tablespoon and surprisingly tasty (I actually licked the bowl when I finished my salad). Sadly, it's perishable and only has about a month shelf-life in the fridge. Haven't tried the spicy cashew dressing yet, but online reviewers love it. I like the chicken burgers, but they'd be better on a nice, fluffy bun. I felt so weird buying all healthy stuff and no junk food! If I had made this trip a year ago, I would have been all over the delicious-looking baked goods and the snacks and desserts stacked above the freezer aisle.

Starting purees is great! After the liquid diet, it's nice to be able to eat something resembling real food. You should mix protein powder into purees to make sure you meet your protein goal. My advice for that is to use flavored protein powder for sweet foods and unflavored protein powder for savory foods. Here's what I ate in the pureed stage: Fat-free, no sugar added Greek yogurt (vanilla yogurt + birthday cake protein powder; vanilla yogurt + chocolate protein powder + powdered peanut butter; strawberry yogurt + strawberry protein powder, etc.) Fat-free, sugar-free pudding (chocolate pudding + chocolate protein powder + powdered peanut butter; vanilla pudding + strawberry protein powder, etc.) Unsweetened applesauce + cinnamon roll protein powder Protein oatmeal + cinnamon roll protein powder Pureed refried beans + unflavored protein powder, topped with enchilada sauce + Laughing Cow cheese Pureed black bean soup + unflavored protein powder Mashed cauliflower + unflavored protein powder, topped with gravy

@cantstop1977 I completely understand. My sleeve was on 02/02 and all the meetings and appointments did not prepare me for the gas pain. The bloating is insane, it causes chest pain, back pain, and shoulder pain. It was so bad I didnt wa t to drink anything. I will say after day 3 it does get significantly better. I find that the more I fart the more it helps, I got a little gassy day 4 and much gassier day 5. I will also add today is the first day I ate and I had 2 tbsp of Greek yogurt so that may have played a part. You can do this! It does get better! Hang tight. Tomorrow will be much better! Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Ok, now hear me out. I had a little yogurt and two bites of chicken breast last night for dinner and never felt the stuffed feeling or even full feeling. I’m three weeks out from surgery. About 10 minutes later I noticed the calcium chew samples that I will need to start in a few days so I thought I’d test one. The minute I ate it I ran to the bathroom thinking I had to throw up but instead experienced the dreaded foamie thing for two hours. What did I do wrong? It’s not blatantly obvious to me because I didn’t overeat at dinner. I never want to experience that again- I’m sure I will, but if there is an obvious reason PLEASE share!

Curious... How long before you could eat your first piece of pizza? It seems as if each doctor has a different diet plan for before/after surgery. For instance, my surgery was 1/29/2021. I am on 2 weeks liquids to include Protein shakes, Protein Water, Water, Yogurt, Fat free/sugar free pudding and low fat ricotta. then i go to 1 to 6 months of soft foods, to include ground meat, deli slices, non-fat cheeses, etc then on to solids again. My main thing is pizza. I just want to know realistically when I will be able to eat it again. I don't want any lectures on how i shouldn't. I'm only wanting one slice vs the 4 or 5 I used to eat. So spare me the anger.