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Am 2 months out -6/24- and I eat evry 2.5/3 hours or I find myself a starvin marvin Breakfast at 830/900 (3 ounces oatmeal or Special K or 4 ounces yogurt) Snack 11 (usually cheese or deli meat or a piece of fruit) lunch 1-130 (today was a really whopping meatball couldn't finish it) Snack 3:30-400 (roasted chick peas and 1 ounce beef jerky) dinner never beyond 7 ( hanger steak today. Will see how that goes in a few minutes) If I go beyond 7 I get really bad acid.

Visit the Eggface site referenced here. GREAT ideas. I make up several kinds of bites on the weekend and put 4 of them in a snack bag and freeze them for quick meals. I also enjoy her Protein "granola." The nuts are a little expensive but they go a very long way and you could make up a double or triple batch to nibble on all week. Her protein pancakes are another recipe that I make up a batch of and keep in the fridge for quick meals. Ground turkey is cheaper than beef usually. Make sure you buy the very lean product though or it's too much fat. Once a week, I buy one big package of very lean ground turkey and cook it up with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Once its cooled, I divide it up into small bags and freeze it for use during the week. Another suggestions is to make up a batch of turkey meatballs and freeze them. This recipe made 36 baby meatballs: 1.25 lbs turkey, 1 egg, 1/3 cup oats, splash of milk, salt, pepper. Mix it up and scoop out into little meat balls. Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes. You could add veggies if you wanted to- such as chopped onions, bell pepper, mushrooms, etc. I personally buy sugar free Peanut Butter, block cheese and cut my own "cheese sticks", low fat cottage cheese, greek yogurt and lots of canned or dried Beans to mix with meat and make it go father (yes, they have some carbs but they're loaded with Fiber and it's not like you're eating a huge amount of them). I quite frequently use coupons for greek yogurt, cheese slices, ground turkey products. Every penny counts on a budget! Learn to shop wisely and stock up that freezer! My freezer is full of little bags of goodies. I squeeze the air out of them and date them and put them inside another bag for double protection.

I thought I would have a much harder time with the no drinking while eating than I really did. I was a bit lucky in that my surgeon only requires I stop 5 minutes before eating and wait 20 minutes after eating. I've heard of some surgeons saying an hour before and an hour after! How could you possibly get all your Water in if you can't drink for like 80% of the day??!?! Anyway, when I first started eating solid foods post-op, it was a little challenging, because I was used to being able to "wash down" dry foods. So, that took a little getting used to. I found it was best just to not have water within reach while I was eating, otherwise I would drink without even thinking about it. I had to re-train my brain. One fascinating thing I learned was that I had CLEARLY been using drinking while eating as a means of eating more food pre-op, without even realizing it. The first time I got a "full" sensation while eating solids post-op, my instinct was to reach for the water to wash down the food so I could eat more! I never realized that about myself until I was post-op. I will say that, while I am cleared by my surgeon to drink 20 minutes after eating, I often find that after a full meal, I need to wait about 40-45 minutes anyway. Otherwise I feel overfull and uncomfortable. If I am just having a small snack, like a cheese stick or some yogurt, then it is easier for me to drink sooner after eating.

I am with B-52 -I like my band tight (most days). I also can not have pizza-that is a BIG no-no. Even when my band wasn't tight I couldn't handle it. Shrimp has been giving me problems. Most bread items are very difficult-unless they are cracker-like in consistency. I do take a teeny piece of bread at dinner (the size of a half dollar) just so I have the experience. If I am being honest I will say the tight band does have it's potential problems. I was having trouble getting foods down and was PBing more than I would like to admit. I was really hungry and it seemed like ice cream, candy, and potatoe chips could easily go down with no problem. That's what they call "eating around the band" and it's a real danger if you are filled tight. I now keep all those items out of my house. I have also learned what works and what doesn't and my PBing is now in check. Sometimes when food goes down I know I need to walk around a little, so I'll excuse myself to go to the restroom -notto PB , but simply to get things moving inside. This actually works. Mornings are rough but I can eat a granola bar but fruity yogurt doesn't go down comfortably. I usually can't finish a lean cusiene for dinner. Like I said you will need to keep healthy items in to munch on. If you have a tight band and even if you don't, eat solid Proteins they really do curb the appetite! Good luck!

It is interesting that a doctor would say no pills for month. I remember it being kind of difficult to take pills for a couple weeks, but did start 2-3 again on pills days after surgery. Today (11 months), I am taking pills of all sizes. I agree pudding or yogurt will help you with getting those pills down until you are fully healed.

I had my first pre-op appointment yesterday. I am excited to say on the doctor's scale, I am down 16.6# since my last visit with him. While I am extremely happy with the weight loss...I am tired and weak. I am disappointed on how I am feeling. I truly need to look at my diet and make adjustments. I am finding it very hard to get in the protein, which I know I need to heal and stay healthy. I am a huge sweets fan but I do not want to taste another SF pudding, yogurt or protein shake. How does regular protein powder change the tastes of liquids? Thanks in advance for any ideas!

During my pureed stage I was allowed scrambled eggs, soft cheeses and shredded meat, so I really lived on those. I made Shelly's Ricotta Bake (recipe on this page) and had that almost every night for dinner. I had tuna salad or a a scrambled egg with some melted cheese for lunch. I was still having two Protein shakes a day (one for Breakfast and one a couple hours after dinner). I had cottage cheese, string cheese, light greek yogurt, or Peanut Butter for Snacks. My nutritionist wants me at 85-100 grams of protein a day and I was able to get at least 85 grams in all through my pureed stage with those foods. I never actually pureed anything.

You really won't feel very hungry for a few months, but by your first month some easy digestible foods are Yogurt, scrambled eggs, shredded chicken, turkey with a broth (moist is the easiest to eat), peanut butter, protein shakes, sugar free pudding, sugar free jello. You basically will work on eating protein and very little 2-3 ounces will fill you, I know it sounds crazy, but I am a year post mop and 4 ounces of chicken fills me up. Also remember natural sugars versus processed sugar foods are very different. I haven't had bananas yet. Remember the majority of weight you lose will be during the first 5-6 months and the. It really starts to slow down, so enjoy the not feeling hungry and just focus on proteins, and keeping hydrated. I live on chickens, Powerade zero and coffee

I promise it will get better. I was you at Christmas time. I was sleeved 12/14/15 and couldn't have solids yet. Made a full turkey dinner for my family but ate yogurt for Christmas dinner.! I actually enjoyed my Easter dinner today, in very very small portions. Next holiday you will too! It will be different, portions are smaller and sweets will probably be avoided. With 2 small children I have a house full of candy but with sleeve power I haven't ate it!

I think this is really challenging sometimes. I am 9 days out. Just yesterday, I got to advance from clear liquids only - to full liquids and protein drinks. Included in that is cream of wheat cereal (as long as it is runny), cream soups (strained for any chunks), and greek yogurt with no fruit chunks. At the end of my 8 days of clear liquids, I felt hungry frequently. I could quell it with some broth, but it did not feel satisfying! Being able to feel like I am "eating" again is great. But, my weight bumped up overnight 1.2lbs - I am guessing/hoping it is because what I can eat has a higher sodium level and because it takes longer to digest the new additions. Today, I went back to measuring and recording everything. As of right now I am only at 446 calories. According to my plan, I am supposed to have some a protein beverage in a couple of hours - so I will top out under 600 calories for the day. That is about where I was during the liquid protein pre-op diet. I feel full, but I also feel like I am eating a lot. However, none of the food is solid. So, what would be slider foods in the future? I also think I am probably eating too fast - so I need to refocus on that. I do have a lot more energy than I did when I was only eating clear liquids! I do feel hungry, and the usual triggers cue hunger (food smells from other people making food in the house). I am satisfied with a small amount of food, so my guess is that everything is OK? I did think that I would not feel "hungry" at this point - and that is not the case for me.

Hi! I am 10 days post gastric bypass surgery, but I am really scared because I am able to eat a lot of yogurt and I’m scared I stretched my pouch! Is this possible or am I spiraling?

I didn't do a lot of cream soups. I did some, but I also did keifir, some Protein shakes, yogurt and cottage cheese. I made oatmeal using the Protein Shakes, miso soup with bits of tofu and grits with a bit of cheese added in. Try out different things and see what you do like.

I have been lactose intolerant for about 20 years. Lactaid brand ( and maybe others) sell lactose free yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, ice cream & probably other products I can't remember right now. They are sold in all major supermarkets. Cabot brand has lactose free cheeses. Also sold at Walmart and major supermarkets. My nutritionist recommended that my Protein be " whey ISOLATE" and it has worked great. I have purchased some at GNC and the unjury brand online . They are everywhere .At Starbucks is the only time I ask for soy. Hope this helps.

That is quite difficult. I am allowed pills, have been since day 2. I am not supposed to use straws. I can tell you what my nutritionist says.... Full Liquids: 60g of Protein, portions are around 1/2C and you are taking that in around 6 times a day. Water around 64oz a day. My rules are 5g of sugar or less and high protein for Protein drinks. I start Mush/Fork soft foods at 2 weeks: Rules: Meals are 1/4C to start and 1/2C as you get further in. Protein first, 20-30m to eat a meal. Recommended: eggs Light/LF yogurt Flakey white fish Tuna Small shrimp Tender cooked or ground beef, pork or poultry Beans and Lentils FF refried beans LF deli meats LF cottage cheese Shredded or soft skim or 1% milk fat cheese Tofu Other Foods: oatmeal Cream of wheat Soggy Cereal Cooked soft veggies Soft fruit without skin Crackers and toast chewed well Potatoes, soft and mashed Low fat soups w/o large chunks of meat or veggies Avoid: Fresh bread sticky rice Pasta Mac n cheese melted stringy cheese Peanut Butter Raisins (dried fruit) all raw veggies, salad, all lettuce skins of fruit or veggies nuts, seeds, granola popcorn chips coconut tough or chewy meats: steak, pork chops, ham, hot dogs corn/peas (unless pureed) Butter salad dressing sour cream cream cheese mayo gravy fatback/bacon sausage whole milk whole milk cheese fried foods processed meats Chips Desserts: cakes, Cookies, ice cream etc... I am on that for 10 weeks. Good Luck!

The only thing I had complaints about this week (just sleeved Monday) is the hiccups. They hurt and quite frankly wish the gas would come out the other end. I believe it would be far less painful. I passed gas like the next morning after the surgery. I am eating my sugar free pudding, jello, and yogurts and hard to get all the water and protein in. Only my first day on solid liquids though so some tweeking will be in order for the rest of my menu for the next 3 weeks. Over all I am feeling great. I was so worried and it was for nothing. No pain at all. Good luck everyone.

I’m sorry it has been rescheduled. I guess that’s another reason to go to Mexico. I am an RN and work for a major hospital group…in home health. If I worked for the hospital, they would cover 100%. Since I do home health….they have no bariatric rider so I have to pay cash. I never thought that I would get this far with it. I realize I’ve been on my high protein low carb diet just 24 hours, but not once did I stop and get a Pepsi or food. I took PB and celery, ate tuna and yogurt throughout the day. The hardest part will be spaghetti and potatoes. I love my pasta but that’s what has me at 254 pounds. We can all do this. Best of luck to you and keep me updated!

Went to my Dr today, mostly because I went off of medication before surgery and needed to get back on something now that I am eating again (couldn't handle it with just liquid diet also it was making my B/P go up). I went last Dec 7th (5 weeks before surgery and 7 weeks ago today.) I am taking the last time I was there as my official before surgery wieght (even though the I'm sure the 5 weeks inbetween then and surgery I gained at least a couple pounds~ with all the last supper meals I got in) I wieghed 267 then I am now 257. Not bad for no pre op diet and really only one week of no eating. Another great accomplishment is my blood pressure was running high 180's/high 90's. Today it was 124/89! yahoo, the bottom number is still high but I think sometimes that has to do with being in a Dr's office b/c at home when I take it is closer to low 80's. I know that I have had MOSTLY liquids and also for the past week oatmeal and yogurt for almost 2 meals each day but I am hoping that I can keep it where it is or lower. I feel good today, physically and emotionally. I usually HATE going to the Dr's, ecspecially the scale but for the first time in a year seeing improvments gave me a boost. Last night was my first night back at work and it went O.K~ (long as always, but O.K). I had my Cream of Tomato soup with a little bit of l/f shredded mexican cheese on top really just a sprinkle, but I was satisfied all night, I usually make it about half way and then run to the vending machine for some comfort grazing but last night I didn't even think about it. My goal for the rest of the week is to get some good music on my MP3 and walk the garage on my lunch. I really need to work on getting some steps in, by the end of the day I am so tierd with being with the kids all day, house stuff, Logan's homework, dinner ready just in time to get out the door for a full shift at night. Off to put the girl to sleep and maybe if I'm lucky a 30min nap :bathbaby:

I am on full liquids, my problem is I dislike anything milky so I can't do Protein shakes or yogurt without vomiting. Looking for new ideas or suggestions I may not have thought of. I'm allowed cottage cheese, pudding, applesauce and cream of Soups. These were the nutritionist suggestions. Thanks!

My 2 week pre-op diet is very similar to your except I can only have 2 Protein shakes and 1 can of hearty Soup. 1-2 sugar free Snacks (pudding, Jello, Popsicles) ff cottage cheese or ff yogurt. And I can have all the sugar free drinks I want. I'm on day 2 and struggling. My SD is 12/13 live2ride - 12/13/16

OMG I'm so glad I read this thread as a mother of 4 boys - 22, 21, 18 & 14 and a husband who has a broken foot and off work for 8 weeks. Maybe the STRESS level in my house is causing the band issue. I've been I guess you would call it restricted or stuck. Seems like nothing is going down easy. I've been trying to baby it by yogurt, soups, hot drinks, cold drinks, nothing seem to be helping. One bite and there it goes burning in throat and feeling full. Maybe being back to work after a long frustrating weekend will release the feeling of being restricted. Thanks for posting. Try to have a stress free work week. I know I'm going to try.

Ok, Im not sleeved yet. But love to cook and experiment. I found if you soak wonton wrappers for a few minutes they make a perfect sub for lasagna pasta. I made this a couple nights ago: 1lb ground chicken or turkey 8 wonton wraps 3/4 cup ff cheese (I used jalapeno jack) 1 10oz can enchalada sauce 1/4 cup chopped onion 1 chopped jalapeno (cored) 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 1 small avacado Plain greek yogurt Preheat oben to 375. Brown meat (drain if needed) add onions, jalapeno and cilantro and 1/2 of the enchalada sauce. Soak wontons in a bowl of water while this cooks for about 10 mins. Spray small baking dish w/ nonstick spray. (I used a small 6x6) Carefully layer bottom with 4 wontons with slight overlap. Add a layer of meat mixture, sprinkle with cheese, repeat. Top off with remaining sauce and cheese Bake in oven approx 20 min or until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Top with small amount chopped avacado and a dab of plain greek yogurt. This makes 4 servings for nonsleeved folk. With ground chicken: 278 cal, 28 protein (this is calced with a nonsleeve serving) Sorry no pic..it was a pretty dish and very good..but my son left nothing for the camera. : /

Hi - I agree with all of the info in the previous posts. Also, please try not to drink anything while eating or it will flush things right through and prevent you from feeling full. Anything that just crumbles up will go through also. You really need to focus on protein items. I know yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. isn't exciting but it stays with you longer. After awhile when you are eating regular foods you will notice that regular food items like potatoes, meats, breads, pasta will def fill you up and possibly get stuck so make sure that you don't forget and take big bites and not chew. The problem is that when you get these items stuck in there drinking will not flush them through, it will make them come back up. It is a learning game and it really takes awhile to learn all of the dos and don'ts. Don't give up!!!

I was sleeved on 3/15 and I'm starting to think that picking the Ides of March was maybe not such a good idea. While the surgery went fine without any major complications (one of my incisions still continues to leak fluids), I am having a really rough time. For the first two weeks I was on Clear liquids only and then the next two weeks (my current stage) is full liquids. While I will admit the clear liquids phase was rough, I thought the next phase would be better for me. My biggest problem is that I am incredibly weak and feeling dizzy constantly. I have been likening it to being stoned but not in the good way. I just feel very disconnected. When I went to see the doc this past week I was told to up my calories and intake more sugar. I found this rather ironic since the NUT told me to do as much sugar free stuff as possible. Literally everything I had to eat or drink was sugar free with the exception of G2 but I had already been living off of that during the first phase. When I asked the doc and the NUT about Protein they said to get as much as you can in but didn't expect me to hit the 70oz mark until after the first six weeks. I can't drink Protein shakes as they make me incredibly nauseous but I am finding other ways of getting protein in (i.e., yogurts and cheese). I thought the weakness would be gone by now but it isn't. In actuality, I think it's getting worse even with the increase in sugar and protein intake. I can't function like this and definitely cannot drive like this, which is bad because one of my jobs is an hour away. The worst part? I can't take any more time off of work. I'm part-time right now at both my jobs and at one of them they dock my pay for each day that I'm out. Also, as a college professor we're getting close to finals and I have a ton of preps and grading to do. However, in my current state of mind I cannot do the work as I'm making too many mistakes and missing important things while grading. My boss at one of the colleges, who is a bit of a d**k and doesn't know the specifics of my surgery because of that fact, has already threatened to pull my summer classes, which I need in order to put food on my table. While I am one of the first who praises that one's health should always come first, I'm afraid that right now it needs to come in second. If I pull out of my classes for the remainder of the semester even due to health reasons, my boss could and most likely would take away not only my summer classes but my fall ones as well (did I mention he was a d**k?). Luckily my other job isn't so bad and they are very understanding but right now I only have a few classes with them for the remainder of the year and they pay a lot less than the other college. To top it all off, I've developed a pain in my left leg, which has me very nervous. I have a history of a DVT with a Pulmonary Embolism so I am already on Lovenox as I found out I have a blood clotting disorder. This pain is eerily familiar to me in a DVT sort of way but how could I have developed a DVT on blood thinners? I'll be keeping an eye on that and will call my doctor on Monday if the pain doesn't go away by then. The only bright side to this right now has been my husband. He has been very understanding since I decided to have this surgery. He has been prepping all of my meals and done the food shopping for me. I can't do the latter as I almost passed out the last time I went out with him. He is incredibly worried about me right now and believes that having this surgery may have been a mistake. I won't go that far just yet but I am having some serious concerns. Yes, I've lost 18 pounds but at what cost? I've lost over three weeks of my life and things just aren't getting any better. Thanks for listening. I don't know what advice anyone can give. I guess I just needed to get this out in the open to help me feel better.

Hello everyone - well, I'm 3 weeks out as of yesterday, and tomorrow or the next day Ramadan will start. Will anyone be fasting? Are there any issues in it? The doctor was fine with fasting and actually said that this Ramadan would be my easiest. I was too out of it to ask any questions... I know that I'm going to face a huge reduction in Water and Protein - and the problem is that I'm still healing. It takes me forever to finish a bottle of water or drink a cup of Soup. The maximum I'd be able to force down over a 24 hour period would be 2-3 cups of water, some hummous or skimmed yogurt, and a Protein shake. Will this be enough for me? I'm already dehydrated. Please help - suggestions please!

That's what I thought was happening. It's the LES that won't open, in that situation. The band doesn't and can't get tighter and looser just randomly. It can seem to tighten over time due to scar tissue, but won't loosen. The only way it can feel like that is the lower esophageal sphincter failing to open in response to swallowing. Mine was intermittent and progressed to constant over a few months. If barium is just trickling through the STOMA, then you most definitely need an unfill ASAP. That might resolve your esophageal issues with just a part of the Fluid removed. It's the back pressure from the band that causes nerve damage at the gadtroesophageal junction. Even eating exactly as told, the pressure occurs. Banding is a high pressure system, as is vsg. More GI doctors are recommending esophageal manometry pre-op, since there is a growing consensus that the intolerance to the band can be predicted and those pts given different options for surgery. Have you ever felt stuck on Water or even yogurt? It's not your band stopping it. Fickle bands, first bite syndrome, getting "stuck" on soft foods and liquids are all signs of a potential problem. When so many report these things happening, it looks like a normal part of banded life, but it's not. It's a warning sign.