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My Gastric bypass surgery is scheduled for August 18, 2025 and here in Hawaii, our liquid diet is only for the first 2 days after surgery, then we move on to pureed for the next 2 weeks. I am trying to prepare because I know the day will be here shortly so just wanted to get some ideas of how most of you managed to get a lot of protein in with such small portions.

Hello everyone. I am post-op, had my first doctor's visit one month ago and scheduled for my second on 04/19. I am doing my best to read all of the literature provided to me as well as what I can find online. I am struggling with the thought of pureeing food. I just don't think I could bring myself to consume meat, vegetables or eggs that have been pureed. It sounds disgusting! Is this something that is a MUST or can we supplement with protein drinks? All input is appreciated. :0)

Like weight loss before and after photos but of your new diet ! I'm especially interested in before and after meal photos (take a pic at the point you feel restriction) but it can be of recipe substitutions, your refrigerator/pantry/shopping cart/etc VSG2017 HW 249 SW 238 CW 167

So I'm a little more than 2 years out and for probably the last 6-8 weeks, I've gotten to where I just don't really enjoy eating most things. I'd say 90% of what I'm eating, I eat because I know I need to eat, not because I particularly enjoy it. Most things just taste off somehow to me, including things I used to really enjoy. I'm wondering if any other folks had anything similar happen? I will preface this by saying there's a possibility this is medication related, as I think I made a change to my meds about that same time. I'm investigating that separately.

Hello everyone.... So my husband is supportive of my going through with a Rou-en-Y Gastric Bypass, and I'm so close to getting a date; after April 2nd I should be good to go. He happens to be a chef and lately he has been telling me that "they are selling this surgery to me", which is not okay. I think he is really telling me that he fears that I will change so much and my diet is changing so drastically already that when he cooks, he cooks out of love, and always wants to make me happy. Food has always made me happy. I tell him that I can still eat whatever he makes, I just won't be able to eat a huge plate of his lasagna, maybe 1/4th of what a "serving" would be. This of course is causing me to question my decision to go through with something that I have been researching for the last 4 years. I finally decided to have it to lose the weight that my orthopedic surgeon said I had to lose so that I could actually get a new hip, which I need desperately. So, this is not to look like Barbie for me, it is so that I can have hip surgery, a health related situation, and may cure my diabetes as well, two-for-one perhaps? Bottom line, am I right by thinking that he equates food with love, and therefore fears my changes and his inability to show his love for me? Looking forward to answers, questions, thoughts, anything.....

Hey guys, The last few days have been super hard I just want to eat all the time I feel so empty! I know its mainly head hunger and at nearly 8 weeks out it is my mind fighting against the changes I have made. I miss eating more! I have had slight cravings for junk food lately but I will not eat it because I know it will do me absolutely no good and it will make me worse off. I haven't eaten any of it since before my surgery and have no plans to in the future. As a recovering food addict a little bite would be a massive trigger to eat way too much and I can't deal with that. I know I have been addicted to food pretty much my whole life but I honestly didn't think that my addiction was as bad as it clearly is. I don't regret having the surgery and having lost 2 stone 6lbs is amazing in such a short time, it's just so hard to get used to the huge life change. I am all in and will continue eating healthy unprocessed food because my body loves it and I feel so much better physically. It's taking my mind a long time to catch up though and I'm struggling. I have heard plenty of ideas about finding a hobby and doing things to focus my mind away from food but I need to face up to my food demons and learn to live with them. I don't want to avoid these feelings coming up, they need to be dealt with. So I journal when it gets too much and I post on here too. I'm just looking for some one who understands how I feel and who can tell me it gets better! Thanks again guys x

Hi all, I am struggling with what to eat for the stage 2 diet which is soft/pureed foods. what are some tasty things? fulfilling? Let me know Thanks!

Hi guys, I've been very up and down with my emotions on this journey I have taken only 6 weeks ago. I am struggling mentally with intrusive food thoughts and I am coming to terms with just how serious a problem I had around food and still do, its early days. I know many of you have been through the same struggles emotionally. I was just looking for your experiences to reassure me that I'm not alone in this and that things will get better. I don't regret having the sleeve because I am feeling so much better health wise, I'm just struggling! I don't eat or crave junk food anymore, I just miss eating and my mind is telling me I'm hungry when I know I'm not! Thank you for hearing me out again! x

Ok, so my pre Op plan allows for free grazing on low carb veggies, salad items etc, and one serve of healthy fat per day. So rather than munch on celery orcarrot sticks (which I do also love) I thought why not make them into a faux wrap with Lettuce and avo. I only ate one with broth for lunch, but wow it was great! Anyone else getting a bit creative with their diet?

What soft foods did you eat ?

I am really struggling with tracking my food. I have tried many different trackers, both digital and paper but I just can’t seem to stick to it. I have ADHD, time blindness and object impermanence (out of sight out of mind). The crazy thing is that even when I eat, I do not think “Oh I need to write this down” never. It just doesn’t occur to me. I recently switched to clear acrylic tumblers because I still wasn’t meeting my water goals. I bought (2) 40 ounce tumblers so I only have to refill it once. This has been working for me. The goal is 64 ounces of water per day so if I don’t completely finish the refill as long as I get below 1/2 on the second round I am good. Switching to the acrylic tumblers helped with my out-of-sight-out-of-mind issues so now I can see exactly how much water is in the tumbler as opposed to others where I had no idea… it’s just a bottle… wonder how much is in it? LOL I have a huge aversion to meticulous counting. I bought Japanese-style condiment dishes to use as plates/bowls to control portion sizes. They hold approximately 3 oz of food. I also purchased multiple sets of pretty “toddler” flatware that matched my regular flatware… it’s just smaller…. This controls my “bite size”. So, how I do go about hacking my brain to be able to track food? Because even if I do remember to do it at the end of the day, it is inevitable that I will miss something or not remember exactly how much I ate. The memory clarity/issues are a daily struggle. I struggle using digital apps with my all or nothing brain. I have an iPhone and iPad and use native apps like Reminders, Notes and Calendar to move through the day. I really don’t want one.more.app.to.keep.up.with… but I am willing to try if someone has found something that works for spicy brains. Does anybody else struggle with this? How did you work through it?

What did a daily day look like? Mine is mainly chicken nuggets and string cheese both because of restriction and limited recipes despite searching When did you have bread? Even low carb? The only I found is sarah Lee? Low carb tortilla? Did you start eating out? What were your favorite bariatric friendly go to?

Today (January 16th) is my birthday. 🥳 This year I opted out of the birthday dinner’s I’m usually taken to by friends and family. I am 40 days post op and while I am now in the “eat whatever I can phase” ofc I’m following the low carb / high protein / no sugar diet I’m advised to follow by my bariatric nutritionist. So for my birthday this year, I didn’t want to go to a restaurant knowing I can’t eat too much food right now + I didn’t want to be tempted by restaurant foods. But I did want to know if anyone else had surgery close to their birthday like me and if so, did you allow yourself a birthday treat? Like a cupcake 🧁? I haven’t had sugar (other than my protein shakes and yogurts) since late November so idk how it will affect my stomach either but I was thinking of just getting a little birthday cupcake 🧁 for myself tomorrow. I’d love to hear others input or experience. Thanks! ☺️

I've always loved a little kick to my eats, but about a year post-op it hit me that I ONLY desire to eat foods which are spicy. Mexican, Thai food, and everything in between! Last time I had pizza it was pepperoni with jalapenos, I then showed it in red peppers, then even put sriracha on it! Any one else feel an affinity for spicy food post-op? I wonder why this is.. (definitely not pregnant)

we were eating pureed food before even leaving the hospital, so plans are all different. I had to rely on protein shakes for a while to make get up to the required amount of protein.

Add gravy or stock when you puree any chicken, beef, etc. It will help keep it to at least a nice dollopy texture and will boost the flavour. Honestiy for the two weeks I ate mostly the same things. It was only two weeks so I could put up with to the limited variety. I pureed a few things but many tasted quite repulsive to me. Plus I wasn’t all that interested in food or eating. I mostly survived on instant oats, yoghurt, extra soft scrambled eggs & soups. I’m surprised by the no fruit or vegetables too. Coarse or fibrous ones are a big no as are any seeds or skins but certainly any you can blend to a smooth puree are usually fine. Think apple sauce, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, potatoes, tomato puree (for flavour) etc. Plans can be different but may be ask for more clarification from your team. All the best.

I like the Isopure Zero Carb 100% Pure Whey Isolate Protein Powder, Lactose Free, Gluten Free, With Vitamins, Unflavored. It can be mixed with sugar free drink mix or other drinks or mashed food. I do recommend a mixing bottle though to mix it up well.

Honestly the variation in post op dietary advice never ceases to amaze me. I had very few rules - 2 weeks liquid, 2 weeks puree were I think the only guidance I was given. I got most of my information here! I am an outlier in that I adored the puree phase. My first proper food, not yucky protein shakes, for about 2 months. My pre-op 800 calorie a day diet had to be extended when my surgery date was cancelled and I had to be in a state of preparation for a cancellation (that took weeks!) I made family dinner and then just pureed that in a blender with extra gravy. No fibrous veg but I had everything else. I hope you can make it through.

Hi all! New to the forum and this site. So, I just had roux en y gastric bypass on Monday, and I'm feeling a bit lost, scared, and anxious. I'm so worried I'll never be able to enjoy some of my favorite foods again. I guess I didn't realize that gastric bypass was so restrictive. My Dr recommend it because I have trouble with heartburn and said this would be a good option. I guess I'm just looking for encouragement - if I know I can have some of my favorite foods at some point down the road, I'd feel a lot better, but everything I look up seems like I can never eat again. Do any of you have experience eating any of the following foods sparingly, or are they gone from my life forever? Tacos, mac and cheese, ice cream, chips and queso or guac, falafel, pad thai? Please know I am aware these are not healthful food choices and my love for these foods got me to where I am today, but can I ever eat them again in any capacity? Thanks for your kindness to this emotionally struggling newbie. I'm scared I made the wrong choice and just reaching out to the void for people who have experienced these panicky feelings. Thanks!

You should find out what your diet plan is before buying and thinking about food for the post op period. Some have liquids for 11 days then they are on full liquids, then they go to puree foods and then there are others that are on protein only diets before they are checked out by their nutritionists. There are a wide variety of diets, and several people are giving you food choices and advice, I refer you to your team for the post op period of time, it takes a bit of time before you can eat all foods, in smaller amounts. So be careful with other's advice.

A high protein yogurt was my go to in the puree stage & you can make it into a smoothly y simple adding some extra milk. Add powered flavours or protein if you want. That an instant oats (very milky),runny scrambled eggs (again lots of milk to keep therm thin) and soups. Your tummy can be very fussy in there first couple of months and your taste buds and sense of smell can become very sensitive. For me shakes were unpleasantly grainy and many foods were too sweet or too salty. Also I struggled to eat any meats I pureed but if you go down this route ensure to add enough gravy or stock to keep the pureed meat thin ( slurping off a spoon thin). So beware & tread warily when introducing new foods. Yes plans can be different. Mine was probably the most common of two weeks liquids, two weeks, puree, two weeks soft food but there were differences in what foods were allowed or not allowed at the stages from other plans. Another thing to consider is we all heal at different rates and while your plan may say you can move forward to the next stage at a certain time your digestive system may not be ready. Don’t be afraid to stay longer at a stage than your plan says if this happens to you. If you don’t reach your protein goal in the first weeks don’t panic too much. As long as you’re making an effort and getting closer as the weeks pass you’ll be okay. The volume of food you’ll be able to eat those first weeks alone hinders your ability to get all your protein in. It would take me three days to eat 2 scrambled eggs and the same for a single serve of instant oats. But work extra hard to get your fluid in. I could count shakes (but I stopped them after liquid stage) but I also did things like count the extra liquid I added to soups or yoghurt, the extra milk I added to the instant oats and scrambled eggs - not the recommended liquid you might have to add but any extra I added. All the best.

Wow, that's really quick to move to pureed. Let me share the plan from my surgical team for comparison: Stage 1 -- Days 1-4: Non-carbonated Liquids only. Water, popsicles, jello, etc. Stage 2 -- Days 5-7: High protein Liquids. Add in 1 oz of a protein shake per hour. Goal was to work up to 2-3 eight oz protein shakes per day. Stage 3a -- Days 8-14: Easy Pureed foods. At this point, I was only allowed Yogurt, cottage cheese and ricotta cheese. In addition to the protein drinks, I was now allowed to add in 1-2 "meals" consisting of 1 TBSP of these foods per day. Since I focused on Greek Yogurt, this meant a max of 2 TBSP of yogurt per day. Stage 3b -- Days 9-30: Other pureed foods: Now could add in Pureed Meats, Pureed Beans, Cream Soups, Hummus, Cooked Pureed Veggies, and Eggs. Here the meals went up to 2 TBSP in size and I could have up to 3 "meals" per day. In stage 3b on a perfect day, I might have gotten to ~60 grams of protein per day, with the bulk of that still coming from protein shakes. I averaged less, especially early on since I just couldn't get that much food in me. Note that my plan didn't actually have a protein goal for the first month. It wasn't until I got to the next stage where they wanted me to get 70-90 grams of protein per day. I added all that not to say my plan was right and yours is wrong, I just wanted you to see how little protein I was getting for the first month. I think it's important to keep in mind a few things during the recovery period right after surgery: If you have to choose between hitting your hydration goals and food (including protein), hydration comes first. Introduce foods slowly. Things you loved before, or even things you think should be easy to digest may not be. As an example, I loved eggs prior to surgery and ate them all the time. I was unable to eat eggs at all for the longest time after surgery and still don't eat scrambled eggs to this day because of how bad an experience I had right after surgery. Things you never ate before may become your new favorites and things that sound good now may turn your stomach. It's weird how we all react differently to surgery. I would advise not trying to stock up on things now, expecting you'll want them after surgery. Just ask here how many people still have stuff they thought they'd want and now can't eat it. When reading your plan, keep in mind words like "up to", "max", etc. I highlighted some of those above in my plan because sometimes I think people read right over those and think of the upper end as mandatory. If they put words like these in the plan it's there for a reason. You may just not be able to reach the higher end of those ranges and that's perfectly fine. It's not like there's some sort of test and you only get an "A" if you hit the upper end. All the best.

Thank you @SpartanMaker and @ms.sss. I have gotten two nights now of good sleep and feel much better. I have always been a bit of a night owl but 3 and 4 am was a little too late to get to sleep. Things are just taking a while to get back to something close to normal. I have been REALLY lucky and not had too much pain, nausea or spasms but the sleep issue was piling up on me. Next step I see the surgeon for a follow up tomorrow and talk to the dietician about moving to pureed food Monday. Changes, one ounce at a time!

Wow so restrictive on the veg, did the doctor tell you why? I have never heard of that before, I was made have veg from day one on liquids by way of soup. If your bariatric team are not going to allow you veg (fruit I can understand being a no) then surely they should provide you with a bit of a menu guide, my team gave me recopies and food lists for each stage, and veg and even fruit were allowed throughout by way of a slow reintroduction. In the puree stage I had a homemade bolognese (though it had tomatoes and bit of carrot) and chili con carne (again has tomatoes but pureed right down so might be ok for you depending on why you are so restricted) and the kidney beans are a good protein, dhal. What about some hummus, can get different flavoured ones to kick up the flavour a bit? Omelets that you can then add seasoning/spices to?

Ever since switching to more of a plant based diet, I've noticed some positive changes. For one, its been easier to stay hydrated. I eat quite a few vegetables daily that have the highest Water content of any food. Below is an interesting article that lists such foods. Cucumbers just happen to be number 1 since they are about 98% water. I actually find that I crave cucumbers and apple cider vinegar during the day. Apple cider vinegar is wonderful for vitality and overall health. I've already written a long post about it a few months back, but I do recommend it for decreasing hunger and increasing energy. Ever since hitting goal, I've grown respect for fresh fruits and vegetables. The surgery has perhaps made them more appealing? Anyone else notice this? http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/list-fruits-vegetable-high-water-content-8958.html