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I tried lots of pureed foods but as I had already had issues with food smells, the look of pureed food was not for me. I managed home made thick blended soups with lentils and cheese for the protein. It was an unpleasant time for me. On here I heard about protein yogurt and puddings. Life savers. Just do the best you can because it isn't the best time of year when there is so much food around.

Mostly protein shakes, yogurt and soups.

I've kind of had a breakthrough this morning. I took the meds on an empty stomach because I'm supposed to take them at least a half hour before food. About 10 minutes later, I felt like I was starving, but because I was on my bike and cycling to work, I knew I would have to wait to until I got to work in 20 minutes to eat anything. But the "starving feeling" just stopped after about 5 minutes. I think I've spent so much of life thinking "any sensation in my stomach means I need to eat". And then I had a yogurt about half an hour later and I feel completely full. So I think if I get any sensations in my stomach, I need to wait and actually see what it means and wait about 20 minutes.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply 💝 The Sugar probably from my no added sugar fruit yogurt. I stopped added sugar for 8 month now, about the same time I stopped drinking pop which was one of my biggest problems. I had GERD and i thought pop helping me when in fact it was making it worse "a fact i was told when i was admitted to hospital because of GERD". I will ask my team about the fat intake .

I wouldn’t even listen to that surgeon if you feel good and you’re still losing and you’re doing your activity honestly he’s just putting you in as if you’re a statistic. I really hate it when doctors do that. It’s like either. They think you’re lying about what you’re eating or they just assume that one thing works for everyone at the exact same rate. i’m doing OK I posted in another thread that I do have some medical stuff going on. I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer so I have been juggling my weight loss and fitness along with a whole lot of doctors appointments and scans and chemo. Surprisingly I think that it is my yoga and my walking that have kept me sane. I did stop doing my cardio class because they told me that the chemotherapy is extremely dehydrating and it was important to not get myself to warm like to avoid being out in the sun for a long time or anything like that and as I already mentioned on here before I sweat quite a bit When I work out. I am fighting the urge to have carbs since Thanksgiving, but part of that I believe is the steroids I get with my chemo. They told me it wouldn’t be an issue because I would be nauseous anyways and I wouldn’t be able to eat much but I haven’t been nauseous one day so far knock on wood. The chemotherapy actually seems to have increased my metabolism to wear, even though I am eating little things off plan and exercising a bit less I am still losing weight. They assigned me an oncology dietitian who told me that she does not want me to lose more than I was losing before the chemo, which is about 2 to 3 pounds a week. At first I dropped like 6 pounds and we were pretty worried but I honestly think it was just water weight or something. anyways, it’s been a challenge as I’m sure it has been for everyone to juggle whatever life events. Everyone else is dealing with, but I’m getting through it. My habits of packing food like turkey, jerky and cheese sticks and protein shakes or yogurt smoothies, and taking with me and freezing things have been my lifesavers. I don’t always exactly want to eat that and I’m giving myself a little bit of grace right now because of my circumstance but trying not to be too forgiving at the same time. I am actually doing my walk right now because I was out of town for a doctors appointment today and then I went and did a wig fitting because I’ve lost my hair for most of it anyways and I literally just walked in the door and ate my salad that I picked up on the way home for my dinner. I’ve got to get this done and get to bed early because I have yoga first thing in the morning. I am honestly just so thankful that I started this weight loss journey when I did and that my nutrition and fitness are in such a better place because I really truly feel like that is helping me already and it will continue to help me get through all of this anyways, I really hope everyone else is doing OK as well. It’s a crazy roller coaster for sure but we’ve got this!!

I wasn’t going to discuss this on these boards since I don’t want to turn the discussion away from weight loss. I figured I would talk cancer at the cancer support group and weight related stuff here, but I am quickly realizing that it’s very much intertwined. I had my revision surgery to SADI on 8/7/2024 and I felt something on my breast in the shower in September. I went to gyno, got sent to get a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound and then biopsies and it came back as cancer 11/6/2024 (about 4 months post op). A few days later I was with the breast surgeon and was told it was triple negative and it’s very aggressive so the process is a little different for me in that it’s all very fast moving but it’s pretty much the same collection of treatments for most cancer I believe. I am currently two rounds into chemotherapy and just started immunotherapy and also doing appointments for all kinds of scans and imaging as well as meeting the rest of my doctors and setting up my future treatments which will be double mastectomy, then radiation and then maybe oral chemo. Basically I have not sat down since I learned the diagnosis and I have had to learn a tremendous amount very fast to make some pretty heavy decisions very quickly to keep the ball rolling. It’s been a whirlwind From a bariatric standpoint things have been incredibly challenging. For one my appointments are all over Florida. I have a medical oncologist, a breast surgeon, a cosmetic breast surgeon, a radiation oncologist, and a second opinion oncologist and now a gynocologist in the mix but that’s pretty specific to me. So far and I have had to have imaging done at 3 different places as well since it’s all been so rushed it’s just about who can get me in the soonest and then since these places aren’t connected I have to wait around for records and discs and carry them all to each of my appointment to make sure everyone has everything I have been traveling non stop with little time to prepare things so prioritizing my nutrition and exercise has been a huge challenge just in terms of time. There are just not enough hours in the day!! Then there is the chemo, the shot that builds up your white blood cells, and the immunotherapy infusion which also take time (2-3 different appointments depending on how it works out that week) but also all of this effects my cravings and energy. First there is the fact that I have to be on steroids which we all know are the enemy of weight loss but also the fact that eating is different. I consider myself very fortunate that food doesn’t taste bad to me and nausea is not an issue like it is for so many but it’s still not the same. I crave something very specific. I taste it and it’s good but I eat three bites and don’t want it anymore. My refrigerator is a leftover graveyard lol. In terms of energy I am on the strongest treatment regimen the oncologist says so fatigue sorta goes with the territory. I have been walking everyday still except for the biopsy day and my chemo port surgery day and I have done my yoga when my schedule permits but I have not done my cardio class because I think I sweat too much considering how dehydrating the chemo already is. Also I can’t touch community stuff for 24 hours after chemo without possibly exposing others to the chemo drug and we use balls, bars, discs, etc. Also more recently there is the fact that I have lost about 85% of my hair and I get too hot to wear a hat. I think once I’m bald it will actually look better and I am going to try really hard to just get over that but right now I don’t look like I have cancer. It just looks like a botched hair cut to me so I’m living in hats. The good news is it’s going very fast. It started falling out last week and it’s almost gone already so by next week I think I will just be bald. Well, yesterday I did totally forget to exercise with all that I had going on and I’m feeling guilty today now that I remembered but I know that’s silly. I am just hoping that as treatment goes on I am able to keep up my exercise. All the doctors say it’s good to keep pushing myself just not too hard. Exercise and good nutrition are going to make this alot easier on me. Back to food again. Not sure if it’s just the stress of the whole situation or the fact that chemo puts you into early menopause but Thursday was a particularly bad day. My moods were erratic to say the least and I had a bunch of blood drawn after having nothing but a protein shake all day so at 7pm I was pretty much famished by the time we stopped to eat. Olive Garden was the most convenient option and I planned soup and salad but when I got in there that went out the window. I went totally off plan. Again I feel guilty but these darn steroids and all the crazy emotions are making it so much harder to make the better choices when it’s staring at me tempting me I did still get my protein for the day though if there is any good in that What’s really hard about this is that even with the pasta and bread I am actually still losing weight so for my previously obese brain it’s tempting to not just enjoy that while it lasts. But I know that the processed crap is not good for my body, especially right now. I don’t feel as good since I have not been exercising as much and I’ve been eating off plan. I don’t sleep as well at night and I seem to crave more and more junk as well as have less energy throughout the day. thankfully my program has provided to me free of charge an oncology dietician, but I am her first patient who is actively still in weight loss phase undergoing chemo. She had agreed to check in with me once a week since this is new for both of us and she seems amazing so far. She suggested that I do not lose more than two to three pounds a week which was my average before the chemo. Because the chemo has apparently sped up my metabolism she says that I need to increase calories but to add healthy ones which is extremely difficult because adding calories goes against all we just learned and over 2000 calories of healthy food is a very large volume of food that my body is just not wanting right now (I was eating around 900-1000 before this and already felt like I was eating all day. And remember that most of these meals are on the road these days so I have to eat what I can fit in a cooler or stop somewhere on the side of the highway most times. Not easy to find clean healthy food on the road. Enough stating the obvious that it’s tough, here’s what I actually have to offer so far in terms of advice. First thing when I wake up in the morning I have a protein shake which is a really good head start to the day and if I am lucky enough to still be around a couple of hours later I have a second breakfast instead of waiting until there’s time to eat on whatever adventure the day brings. That helps with the protein if I don’t have time to stop at all. Although recently the shakes haven’t gone down so well so I just wake up and have scrambled eggs with 2% cheese and whatever leftover veggies are on hand.. If I know I won’t have time for that I also have some boiled eggs In the fridge that I can eat real fast or slice up with some cheese and take on the go. I carry in my cooler a high protein yogurt drink, chomps pepperoni flavored turkey jerky and baby bell light or mozzarella sticks. It helps to put the ice pack in a ziplock with these items if you live where it gets hot. I also carry a bag with high protein snacks quest protein chips, kind minis, cliff minis, pistachio nuts, nut butter packets, quest cheddar cheese crackers, granola to add to yogurt, etc Freezer meals!! Omg. I was doing these before my diagnosis and they were super convenient then and have been a lifesaver now. I have tex med chili, chicken chili, turkey meatballs, turkey taco meat, grilled chicken, meatloaf, etc in the freezer and it’s all measured and weighed out so that I can pop in the fridge the night before or even jet defrost in microwave if need be. When I have time to cook I do double batches so I can keep my freezer stock replenished. I have a note in my phone notes that it titled In freezer and I just keep adding to it what I freeze and how many portions are in there so if I’m not home I can check my freezer stock. I also do a version of meal prep with chick fila as well I like their market and southwest salads (I get the market one without the blue cheese) I buy one of each with two extra chicken fillets and take them home and I make four salads out of that. I take off all the toppings with a bit of lettuce and put into a smaller container to make a market salad and do the same with the southwest. Then I put the leftover lettuce with the chicken into another container and I have fresh shredded Parmesan in snack ziplocks and ceaser dressing also in ziplocks (sorta less pleasant looking but I figure less risk if bacteria than them tiny containers which are hard to get really clean since I am immunocompromised and infection is so dangerous right now) i cut off a corner and squeeze it out like an icing bag. I just use half of the packets of dressing with the market and southwest salads and then toss the rest. I have the ziplock containers that have the twist top lids and these are easy to toss into the cooler when they do not open at all I still log my macros in Baritastic this has really been helpful for me to be honest about what I’m eating with my oncology dietician so she can keep me on track . It also lets you log your activity, weight, inches lost and set notifications for vitamins and stuff. I added a reminder to put on my fitness watch and to take my regular meds too I also carry my water with me and I set alarms again to drink. You have to wear a mask and for me that seems to make me drink like a quarter as much as I do without one so I have to have reminders again. Vitamins need alarms too. Chemo brain is a real thing and when your days is never the same it’s hard to have a routine anyways so I actually have alarms for just about everything in life right now. I made different tones for water, vitamins and appointments and I have a checklist to go over before I leave the house to make sure I did and packed everything. My friend and family also have reminders for me in their phones for the real important stuff and they call or text to make sure I haven’t forgotten. I just found out that two of the programs I belong too offer virtual yoga sessions. I haven’t tried it yet because they are at set times as well but I added them to my calendar as recurring appts just like the live one so I can attend whichever one I have time for. Someone else suggested you tube for videos but I haven’t tried that either. Yoga by the way is my only sense of calm throughout all of this so I HIGHLY recommend it. That and meditation I know that both of these sound a little fruity before you give them a good fair try and meditation takes a lot of practice before it really Did anything for me but I swear my mind runs non stop with anxiety and worry and for that one hour I’m in yoga or the few minutes I’m meditating it is at peace. It’s amazing!! So I am a little over a month into this and I’ve got a good year and a half to go if all goes well so I’m sure I will have more to add to this but I just wanted to pop In and share what my experience has been juggling a new cancer diagnosis while pretty early out from bariatric surgery. I hope this helps someone. Even if it’s less advice and more to let you know that you are not alone in the struggle.

Hey, it sounds like you're being really honest with yourself, and that’s a huge win already. First off, give yourself some grace—holidays and steroids can make things tricky, and you're not gaining, so that’s something to celebrate. You’re right about the carb cravings; sometimes, it’s just a matter of pushing through for a few days until they’re not as strong. Maybe focus on protein-packed meals for the next few days—chicken, eggs, Greek yogurt, whatever you love—and keep some healthy snacks handy to avoid temptation when the cravings hit. Drinking a lot of water can also help curb those sneaky cravings. Also, let go of what happened yesterday. You can’t change it, but you can decide how today goes. Every choice you make now matters more than anything that happened before. Maybe plan your meals ahead for the next day or two, so you feel more in control. And girl, prioritizing fitness during a busy time? That’s major. You’re proving to yourself that you’re not the same person you used to be. Keep focusing on that consistency—you’re doing better than you think. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. You’ve got this!

I do the really lean beef with 2% cheese as a cheeseburger wrap on them low carb wraps and that doesn’t make me have any crazy cravings afterwards. They even sell really small ones if your portions are still tiny. Do you have any low carb wraps available to you? It tastes kinda dry to me so I spread a bit of avocado on the wrap but if you need a lower fat option you could also do like salsa or some pico de gallo with the lettuce to add some moisture. Or a yogurt dressing. I don’t know why I am just thinking of that. I would probably really like it with the yogurt ranch.

I'm scheduled for the 10th. I officially start my liver shrinking diet today, though in reality, I started last week. I knew there would be some minor hiccups and I wanted them out of the way so I can be 100% on track with what my dr requests starting today. He has me on a 3 week liver shrink diet as my BMI is over 50. The way he sets it up is: Breakfast - Premier Protein Shake Mid Morning Snack - 1 cup melon or berries (or 1/2 cup other fruits) Lunch - Premier Protein Shake Mid Afternoon Snack - Premier Protein Shake OR 1 of the following: 6 oz light yogurt, 1/2c cottage cheese, 4 oz tuna, 1 string cheese, or 1 oz low fat jerky Dinner - 4-6 oz lean protein + 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked non-starchy vegetables I'm finding that I do well until that mid afternoon snack, then I'm wanting something more substantial. I might be scheduled a week before you, but I'm here if you want to chat at all!

Everyone’s liver shrink diet is pretty different. Some have all shakes and others are basically just high protein/ low carb. Did your team give you any paperwork? They usually include a very specific list of foods that you are allowed to eat. Finding a couple of protein shakes you like will be a good start though, those are good for most pre op diets, immediately post surgery and even down the road they are ideal to have on hand for unexpected times. I carry a cooler full of water and at least one protein shake or yogurt drink with me whenever I am out so that if I find myself stuck out and don’t have time or can’t find anything on plan I can just have that. I also have a ziplock with a variety of protein snacks that I bring when I know it will be an unpredictable day. Don’t stock up on too many shakes of the same kind though, your tastes may change a bit after surgery. Especially for sweets stuff. Convenience stores are a good way to try singles of a variety of shakes unless you know someone who will drink the rest of the ones you don’t prefer. One tip if your allowed sugar free popsicles is that the tropical flavors are Amazing. Soooo much better than the traditional flavors I thought.

@NickelChip I do snack on nuts, sometimes use them for breakfast with non fat Greek yogurt with some fruit. Coffee I drink 1-2 times a week with non fat milk and no sugar syrup. Once a week I have a meal in restaurant and allow myself to have whatever I am craving with portion that I can tolerate. I do allow myself to indulge once in a while, so I don’t get crazy carvings, but to be honest I don’t even order unhealthy food when I eat out. I crave for more quality food now. You are so right that I do feel like I m in a size that is close to my goal weight . I feel like I look very close to my goal weight, but the scale says other wise. I never wanted to be skinny skinny, but just healthy in my own way. I keep imagine myself without the excess skin and think that I would be happy after that. 160-170lbs looking is where I want to be. I’ve been obsessed with researching for plastic surgeries. I do know it’s not something I should do now, I would want to wait for at least another 6 months and evaluate then.

Hi, Sorry you're experiencing this, but I am quite sure that it is very early out for you to be having regular food at 2.5 weeks. Every single region I have researched heavily emphasizes on waiting at least 6 weeks until you can have regular food (whatever you were able to eat prior to WLS). At 2.5 weeks blended soups and Greek yogurt felt like a brick in my stomach. If you could maybe wait a few more weeks and stay on pureed/soft foods then please do, you could harm your staples eating solids so early on.

My surgeon did not agree with protein shakes so I never had them. I drank full skim milk instead. There is a lot more protein in it than you would imagine. Make your own shakes with fruit, esp banana, peanut butter, greek yogurt. I could manage PB2 powder. Good luck.

I do like the Iceland brand (sells to n the U.S. too) Including their "yogurt" cheese!

Not that familiar with the switch surgery but I presume it would be the same for all surgeries in that after the surgery there is a new "standard" to meal sizes. If you went back to eating what would be a normal size meal pre-op you would probably make yourself ill and uncomfortable as you can't fit the food in. I am almost a year and a half out (sleeve) and if I had to have a sandwich I would have half per meal but I am trying to stay away from bread/pasta/rice as much as possible as they take up space in my smaller stomach that should have proteins as the priority. I was in the US recently and was happy to see that Pret did half portions so I just got their one half chicken and avocado to have when on the go. For me I still find that for breakfast a yogurt, for lunch and dinner 150ml/3oz of food with a small snack a while later is sufficient for me main meal wise. I think have protein drink or bar as snacks if needed. When eating out I usually just have a starter and would not always finish. If ordering a main course I usually manage 1/3, or 1/2 if it is a small one, and bring the rest home.

Same! I love cottage cheese and have been eating it since I was a kid. Growing up cottage cheese and canned pears were my jam! Since surgery, I have eaten a lot of cottage cheese. I mostly eat it by itself as a snack. I haven't eaten a lot of fruit yet but will sometimes eat some frozen blueberries with it. I don't really cook with it so I cant really help with that. I don't love plain Greek yogurt so I would rather put cottage cheese in anything that calls for that.

You've heard "cottage cheese" a lot, for me its been "Greek yogurt"! Between the dieticians and this forum I'm up to my eyeballs in hearing it! Every single time I spoke with the dieticians they mentioned it..you'd think they owned stock in Fage! I only use it as a replacement for sour cream since it tastes like sour cream and not yogurt to me since it has that sour cream bitter sour taste. I do like the pineapple " cottage cheese" although I keep it to a minimum... what with pineapple having lots of sugars!

I have the weird post-covid effect of yogurt (all yogurts!) tasting metallic. So cottage cheese has replaced it for me. I eat mine with a handful of blueberries and a sprinkle of chopped walnuts.

A good tip would be to have a mix fat and carbs every couple of hours to help you steady your weight so things like dates + tahini or nuts, Avocado milkshakes, full fat chocolate milk and a couple of tbsps. of peanut butter, Full fat yogurt with nuts, full fat milk with honey, just generally nothing low carb/low fat. For me personally, protein fills me up way too quick so maybe try high fat, high carb moderate or lower protein until you stabilize. Sorry you are going through this, please make sure to see your healthcare provider ASAP.

Yea. I figure that I go over my protein goal on days by two or three grams so that one random day wont kill me. I try to do a shake or a yogurt but I don’t force myself too much.

I make a very similar mix for my kids and I top their oatmeal with it, sometimes even their pancakes. I mix it with raw cocoa powder and it makes oatmeal much more fun to eat. You can also top your yogurt with it with some berries.

I've been trying to puree tuna with some yogurt instead of mayo and I think it's just too much for me right now. (three weeks post op) But I I've definitely taken the advice about blended thick soups so they are thinner and cottage cheese. I also had some cream of tomato soup and blended some cottage cheese into it and it enhanced the flavour of both. I used to love cottage cheese when I lived in the US, but it doesn't have the same texture as the UK so I didn't like it anymore. Now, it's a godsend. Funny how life works. I'm really struggling with purees so I'm going to stay on liquids for an extra week.

I would try on yogurt, cottage cheese or in an oatmeal/porridge (Do people even eat porridge anymore? 🤔)

Well I had a revision (no surgery on my stomach) so I won’t even talk about portion. Also, I’m pretty active (2-3 hours of at least walking) so take this with a grain of salt but my calories are around 900-1000, protein is 90 plus, net carbs are 60-70, sugar is usually under 20 but my max is 30, fiber is still too low but around 10-15 with the fiber powder, fat is 20-30, water is about 80, and calcium is usually around 1800 or above. I was told that calories alone don’t mean much at all and carbs and fat depend significantly on what kinds of carbs and fat. Carbs from fruit and veggies are usually fine in our portions and healthy fats like olive oil, avocado and nuts or low fat dairy are okay too but you do have to measure of course and not have them multiple times. It’s when you get into the processed stuff that you have to watch them numbers so much closer. They sneak things in. I have noticed that the low carb stuff is usually really high in fat. My goal is to keep it to Whole Foods as much as I can. So far I have had the occasional low carb wrap, Turkey jerky, yogurt drinks, and quest potato chips in terms of packaged food. Ooh and that burrito wrap I had to seriously budget for. But I mean like twice or three times a month. Your team will have the best info for what’s right for you though. So many things make these numbers different for everyone. Did you ever find an app that you can access to log your food?. It has really helped me. Usually when I sit down to have lunch, I enter my breakfast, my lunch and play around with ideas for dinner and snack and see how that works out in terms of macros. I always have fish and frozen low carb veggies that I can pull out of the freezer if I am too high for the day. I found these burritos that supposedly freeze well I wanted to make but they used a real tortilla. They do not have the big ones in the low-carb version. I looked everywhere but I needed the bigger one and order get enough protein. I wanted to make those four nights in a row but every time I entered them I was going over on something. I finally was able to have them last night but all I had was my morning proffee and five egg whites with pico de gallo for lunch. Then I added a little bit more cheese because I was 2 g low on protein. Anyways, it makes it so much easier to be able to plug these things in and you can delete and try something else if it doesn’t work or add or subtract snacks. The only thing that I do not enter, but I always allow myself to have. I kind of learned on the preop diet was the sugar-free popsicles they’re actually 15 cal I believe but they were free foods on my preop diet and I keep them that way in my mind. It keeps me thinking that I’m never going to be not allowed to have food. Mentally it somehow makes me think that I don’t have to starve. I can always have something.. I actually really enjoyed them the tropical flavor ones on my preop but I haven’t wanted sweets very often since. I have had them a couple of times when I wake up late wanting something though.

I never did puree because the idea of eating blended food was just BLECH. I went from liquids to soft, mushed foods. So I did liquids for 2 weeks, then I did soft, mushy foods for 3 weeks. I ate things like creamy soup, refried beans, mashed potatoes, avocado spread, hummus, yogurt, mashed black beans, and then the 3rd week I ate tuna, cottage cheese, SUPER steamed veggies, etc... But I only ate about 2 to 2 1/2 oz each time because there was NO WAY I could eat more.