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12 days post RNY I feel fine, no pain, no discomfort I can drink water easily, 2-4 regular sips in a row. I can eat 1/2 cup or 4 oz of food in one meal without any discomfort. I think I could actually eat more, but I don't plate more food. I finish what I plate though. Ex: 1/2 cup of blended chili with 1 oz ff greek yogurt, 2oz grilled cod with 2 oz cottage cheese and slice of grilled tomato, 1 egg mashed and 2oz of mashed cauliflower, etc. These seem like big meals. They are all in my NUT's sample menu but at the upper limit of allowed portions. I called NUT and she just said to chew slowly and stop after 30 min. I do chew slow and still finish within 30 min. The thing is I do not feel full or satisfied. I also don't feel hungry. I sort of feel nothing at all. I find this very weird and frustrating. Overall I get about 80 g of protein and 500-650 calories. I'm down 10 lbs in 12 days and I feel that its low. Not sure what to do or how to proceed. I feel that without feeling full or satisfied I'll get off track really fast. Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk

I am only just now getting to the point where I can eat a little fruit or veggies and still hit my protein target. I'm almost two years out from surgery and for most of that time, I had exactly the same dilemma as you - everything I ate had to be high in protein or I'd run out of room before getting enough in. I can now eat a bit more than I could before, so now I can eat half an apple or half a peach at some point in the day. One thing I did early on is that I would add a few berries to my yogurt. That way I got the protein from the yogurt and still had a taste of fruit. Recently I cooked a sweet potato and had about half a cup and that was yummy. You'll be able to eat more over time and then you can reintroduce veggies and fruit without sacrificing protein.

The soft food stage does by really quickly, so don't sweat it too much. Didn't your doctor's office give you a list? Mine gave me a whole binder of what to eat when through each stage, etc. Basically it's cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, oatmeal, protein shakes, yogurt, soup, jello, sugar-free pudding, and things like that.

At the puree stage I was allowed to have grilled or poached fish, which is really high in protein. I also ate a lot of ethiopian food without the injera. That plus greek yogurt, baba ghanoush, hummas, and labneh were my protein sources. I didn't drink shakes.

The soft food stage felt like it went very quickly for me. I depended on eggs quite a bit, starting with just plain scrambled eggs. Then I started introducing in spices and other things like cheese. I was very concerned that I wouldn’t tolerate spices, but that never seemed to bother me. I also ate a lot of refried beans. I couldn’t stand the thought of tuna, although I liked it just fine pre-op. I purreed some baked chicken thighs with yogurt (or possibly sour cream?). Sounds disgusting, but tasted and looked fine. I’m sure there are some recipes out there, but it was kind of a pain in the butt to prepare and very bland. I think chopping it up very finely and carefully chewing would have achieved the same effect. Towards the end of the soft foods stage I started eating boiled shrimp - just making sure that I chewed it carefully. I am 5 months from surgery now, and I still prefer dark meat chicken and shrimp. I can eat white meat, hamburger, turkey, pork, ham and steak, but dark meat chicken always feels much easier on my tummy. Good luck! I’m sure you’ll do well.

I also found the first weeks pretty easy because everything is so limited. Protein shakes, water, and broth is all you need at first. Your program should give you a list of foods for the various stages, but your body will tell you which ones will work for you at that time. I wouldn't advise to prep lots of meals, because you will probably waste a lot. I prepped fish, chicken, and ground beef in 3 oz servings and froze them. But I could only eat half of that and it was just too much to handle. Then I kind of got sick about them and didn't/couldn't eat any of it. I stuck with cottage cheese, refried beans thinned with broth, and yogurt for my soft stage. Really pretty simple and not a lot of work. Don't get too stressed by these stages. They pass quickly and you will advance to regular foods within a couple of months.

I agree, the early stages were quite easy. I also ate a lot of the same things every day, including protein broth, yogurt, eggs (never finished in one meal) and protein shakes. Since then, it's been trial and error. Some foods sit well, and others do not. I could not stand Premiere shakes anymore post-op for example.

I've never heard of such a business, but that sounds like a good idea! Although post-op diet plans vary somewhat (for example, I was on purees as soon as I left the hospital, whereas some people don't start on them until they're a couple of weeks out). So there really wouldn't be any standards for a business to follow...unless your clinic started up such a service for its own patients. I didn't find the first couple of weeks that difficult. I got good guidelines from my dietitian and I pretty much ate the same three or four "meals", in addition to my yogurt and protein shakes. I think it'll be easier than you think...

Happy New Year everyone!! I am looking forward to a much better new year than last year was and hope that we will get somewhere better with this Covid. I have a issue I am dealing with at night. I am not a good sleeper and haven't been for a few years, but since the surgery, I have been hungry through the night and it seems like I need to eat every 2-3 hours. I really don't like doing this. Does anyone else have this problem and, if so, how do you handle it? I try to eat yogurt, cottage cheese, and things like that, but those things can get boring and I also use them during the day. I did get some protein soups from BariatricPal store and can tolerate it, but you can sure taste the protein powder in the soups.....something that I'm not crazy about. Maybe one of you can help me out with this....

I am a vegetarian. I had my surgery on 12/30, so the jury is still out on whether or not I’’m lactose intolerant now... but regardless, if I stumble upon some dairy free protein sources that are awesome I’ll let you know. I already had issues drinking straight milk before my surgery. I could eat cheese, yogurt, and ice cream (on occasion) with little difficulty though. I think their processing makes it easier on my stomach. Anyway, like I said I’ll keep you posted if I find something awesome!

Hi I'm nearly 4weeks out, have you tried mashed potatoes with ketchup or creamcheese? Weigh about 3oz and eat that, even fishcakes but don't eat the batter, have electrolytes power mixed on your drinks as thats what helped me with my energy levels, also have cheese triangles and small pots of yogurts throughout the day and sip on electrolyte drinks. Sent from my VOG-L29 using BariatricPal mobile app

Oh my goodness - so many options out there. There are lots of plant based protein powders, both flavored and unflavored. For shakes, I use the Orgain brand. Beans are super foods - just smoosh them up and thin with vegetable broth. Refried beans were my go-to in the soft stage. There are plant based yogurts (Silk is made from soy, and there is a great one made from oat milk that is high in protein - Nancy's is the brand.) Tofu is also a go-to. You can scramble it, put it in smoothies, make dips and sauces from it - lots of options. For "milk" I use the unflavored, unsweetened Silk soy milk and also unsweetened Ripple which is pea protein based. These have the highest protein content.

I'm almost 6 months out and still relying on protein powder to meet my requirements. I don't think I could get all my protein from food even if I ate nothing but meat, unless I started eating between meals, which I'm trying not to do because I don't want to fall back into old bad habits. I got tired of protein shakes between the pre-op diet and the post-surgery liquid stage, so I mainly mix protein powder into my food. My go-to breakfast is half a container of Greek yogurt plus half a scoop of protein powder (my favorite is birthday cake flavor, but I also use chocolate sometimes). That's 19 grams of protein. You can also mix protein powder into applesauce, protein oatmeal, or pudding, and unflavored protein powder into things like refried beans, soups, and other purees. A lot of people like to add protein shakes to their coffee instead of creamer for a protein boost. I like protein hot cocoa and find it much easier to drink than cold shakes. What brand of protein shake were you drinking when you had the allergic reaction? You'll have to avoid whatever caused that, which could limit the kinds of protein you can have (although it is possible that your reaction was to a different ingredient and not the protein itself). If it was whey protein (which is generally the recommended type), you may have to use plant-based protein. There are some recommendations on a recent thread here:

You can add protein powder to almost anything puréed. I add unflavored protein powder to savory food, but I prefer to use flavored protein in sweet foods (e.g., cinnamon roll protein powder in applesauce or protein oatmeal; chocolate or vanilla protein powder in yogurt or pudding). Try drinking your protein shake just a few ounces at a time throughout the day. I find that hot beverages go down more easily than cold: YMMV, but you could try protein hot chocolate (if you make it with Fairlife milk instead of water, it has as much protein as a shake).. A lot of people have trouble meeting fluid and protein goals early on, but it gets easier, so just do your best right now.

I have this exact same problem- I’ve learned that I just truly am hungry and cannot sleep unless I have something in there. I usually have flax pita, yogurt, or chicken on hand to consume on the fly. Lately because I know I’ll be hungry I’ve taken to drinking tea or decaf coffee when I’d normally eat so I can save some calories for later when I’ll need it just before bedtime. My new years resolution is to start drinking tea- also helps to get more liquids in, keeps distracted, etc. still trying to find one I like.

For me, phase 1 was basically shakes. There are tons of vegan shake options, if you look on either this site or amazon.com. I really like Orgain, Ripple, VegaSport, OWYN, and Topbit brands, but folks’ tastebuds vary. If your program permits yogurts in phase !, there are tons on nondairy yogurts, just keep an eye out for sugar levels.

Thank you guys! How did I forget about cottage cheese?! Yummm! I am a yogurt hater, I’ve never enjoyed the texture (but yet I eat other weird textures lol). The nutritionist said I could try yogurt again and even put a spoonful of whip cream in it to help with the texture. Maybe I should try that too. I have not tried meat yet. I’m almost afraid of the puréed meat but I like chicken salad so I’ll try that one too! I wonder if I can add the isopure to it to? Hmm I’m not sure if it would blend well with meat. 🥴

So good!! breakfast I have had egg whites with spinach. I put it in my blender. It’s green eggs!! But it’s good! lunch I have had tuna with low fat mayo with cucumber slices. Or chicken salad. dinner is usually chicken with cooked veg of some sort....like a stir fry or fajita like. snacks I also have almonds or fat free plain Greek yogurt with half an apple or half banana but I think I have to give up fruit for a bit...I’m stalling again! need to push through to get the weight loss moving again!!

Here’s a few examples for food for a day: Breakfast: 1 Oikos Tripppe Zero yogurt (I almost eat entire serving) and 2 cut up strawberries Or.. 8oz Soymilk blended with Premier Vanilla protein powder, 2 tbsp PB2, cinnamon & squirt of stevia (cup of ice) Lunch: 1-2 oz Grilled Salmon with Capers Or 1-2 oz Grilled chicken. I’ll make a Caprese Salad (mozzarella, oil, basil & balsamic glaze drizzle) Dinner: Steamed Green Beans and left over protein from lunch. Snacks: blueberries, whole almonds or protein shakes. I’ll sneak in a few whole wheat ritz crackers every few days. Simple foods are what is settling good right now. Drinking water with a splash of Gatorade Zero for flavor or a Mio splash for flavor. That’s it! Love to hear any other ideas

Update. I may have developed acid reflux. I went to my surgeon two days ago and he didn’t understand me. he said “it’s okay it happens to everyone”. I went home and I was so sad because I had horrible nausea that didn’t want to go away. I was unable to drink or eat. yesterday was even more horrible I cried from the pain I was going through. everytime I try to swallow any medicine I was given I start to have nausea and just vomit spit because at this point my stomach was just empty. I woke up today with a sore throat. Took my nausea medicine and I’m currently trying to finish a container of Greek yogurt. I’m supposed to start my solid foods stage next week and I’m currently on soft foods stage and the only soft thing I ate was freaking scrambled eggs and that’s all. my mom at this point doesn’t understand me. she had gastric bypass 7 years ago and told me that it happened to her and I have to stop complaining about it.

The nurse practitioner put me on Sucralfate the pill one because my insurance would not pay for the liquid. I take it three times a day I have to crush it and mix it with yogurt. I’m still struggling with eating because I don’t know what to eat. I’m thinking about going back to the liquid phrase. I go to the doctor next month for my 6 month follow up. Hopefully I can get some answers. Thank You for reaching out to me and welcoming me to the group.

I avoided spicy food early on for that very reason. I still kinda do that (I'm 5.5 years out) - or I'll put a dollop of plain yogurt on it (esp if it's something like Indian or Thai food) to kill the heat

13 days out from my surgery, have had ups and downs with the biggest challenge be 1) energy and 2) hunger at the end of the day. I've fixed the hunger by making sure I'm sticking to high protein liquids. Here are some tips and tricks I've learned to help me keep moving forward: Food tips: Perfect treat: Pre-mixed Premier Protein, Vanilla. Warm in microwave then sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Such a treat, and fulfilling! Making sure to get my protein drinks in late in the day so I don't have that late night hunger. I've been using Gatorade Zero to fill in between meals, since plain water is hard on my stomach. I tried a recipe from a cookbook, but it really grossed me out - using plain greek yogurt, mixing it up with my chocolate whey protein. Gagged! That memory has kept me going on liquids alone. Use bone broth as a meal, adding my own salt and spices, nice an warm, and comforting. Exercise Tips: Set little goals, and then if you can keep going, keep going. If you need to take a break in between, take a small break. Listen to your body, and if you need to rest, or take a break in between, do it! For me, I started with walking laps around my pool / patio at night, and use my FitBit to keep me motivated. One day I had 10 laps, then I challenged myself to do 5 more, then 5 more, etc. Started at 5,000 steps then challenged myself each day until I got up to 12,000. However, if I didn't have the energy, I listened to my body and didn't push it. After I was comfortable walking, I started on my Bowflex Max 5 - not at the interval training level, but just at my own pace. First days were hard. I skipped two days, but then hopped up on it again and found I was able to go several additional minutes without needing a break. Just like any exercise, keep your water or Gatorade Zero or other non-calorie hydration close by, small sips are all you need. Setbacks: Some days the hunger was really strong - I found myself tasting Kosher salt & spices in between meals, which kicked any feelings of being deprived to the curb. (I don't know if this is allowed, or healthy - but just a taste did the trick). I've gotten over those cravings from the first week. After losing 12 pounds the first week, I stalled for about 2 days. I was discouraged, but kept moving and the weight loss kicked in quickly. I am now down 16 pounds since 12 days since my surgery. Keeping my energy levels high enough to put in the walking and/or Bowflex. I have to push myself at times, but I do it and feel better after knowing that I am increasing my metabolism and strength with each cycle. I also let myself rest when I need. Hope sharing this helps as you approach your post-surgery healing and journey.

I hadn't thought about adding vanilla protein to my yogurt but will now! I add an unflavored to some soups and don't taste it but it doesn't blend completely. Do you mind sharing what type of pea protein you use? Thank you!