Food and Nutrition

I am having tremendous trouble getting fluids in. I was always the girl who never left the house without a cup of Coke Zero fixed and always had something to drink. Always. Now, I could go all day without drinking. I have to make myself drink because I know need the fluids. I get full and gross feeling after a few sips and that just deters me from drinking more. I don't like plain water, never have, and I'm completely over the crystal light/mio things. What now?! I am almost certain this is the number one thing keeping me from losing the way I should be. I am six weeks out and am at 33 pounds lost. But, I've only lost about a pound a week the last few weeks. I am getting …

Hi guys! I was just wondering if anyone has tried any type of fried food or hot wings after surgery.I know it's bad for you and I don't miss fried foods so much, but buffalo wings were my absolute favorite and I'm wondering will I have to say goodbye to them forever :0( If you have tried these, how long after surgery and how did they make you feel?

Being sleeved 8 weeks ago was the smoothest surgery ever! I had no nausea and could eat whatever; I got all my Protein and Water in until now. For the past couple of weeks, it has been difficult to eat and I'm not getting my protein in as I should. Just the thought of eating or drinking protein makes me queasy. Some days, the thought of eating at all is a significant struggle. I am drinking enough water and taking my Vitamins. It is almost impossible for me to eat enough now. I tried protein "shots" from a Vitamin store and that liquid was horrible. Slimmy and thick! Just can't do it. I wonder if I should go back to a liquid diet and see if I can reset my stom…

Now I am no eggface-but i was thinking about how she makes dozens of flavors of "ice cream" from soy milk and Protein powder and added ingredients, like torani syrups, nuts, fruits etc. I was wondering today about the possibility of making "ice cream" out of the premixed shakes (I'm thinking premier-the only one I can even swallow). I was thinking I could take 2 cans (24oz) and use my Cuisinart machine (the kind where you freeze the container) and then put it into individual serving size containers to have for Breakfast (I hate to cook in the morning). I was thinking about having one and a piece of fruit. Then I started thinking about adding fruit to the ice cream itse…

Since I had a three week delay due to some complications with my hiatial hernia surgery, I am probably going to start soft foods tomorrow. My question is do you ever get to eat more than 4 oz. at a time, do you always have to wait 1/2 hour between eating and drinking, are you always restricted to 4 oz. of liquids at a time? I am really not talking about right now, while I am still healing, I guess I am referring to later. Or if this does change, when does it change? I read so manyof you drink 30 oz. of Starbucks at a time and sip tons of water all day and don't understand how you do it wih these restrictions. Thanks for clarifying for me.

Hi All, I had my sleeve three weeks ago. My doctor gave me a new list of foods that I can include in my diet – eggs, tofu, fish (baked, broiled), sea food (no shrimp or crab cakes) and soft cheeses. (I am glad that I don’t have to put my food in a blender.) He said that I need to get in 70 grams of Protein and 30 grams or less of carbohydrates. What carbohydrates can I eat? Does this mean that I can have veggies or fruit or mashed potatoes? Can some veteran sleevers please share some of their meal ideas and recipes with me? Thanks in advance, Toyia

Any suggestions or tips? It usually strikes around 8 pm or so while watching tv... In the past, i would have ice cream or cookies.. Thanks!

I am just about finished with my 2nd stage liquid week, mostly living off of Cup O' Soup and potato soup. I need some ideas for the beginning of the mushy stage, so that I can get some variety (and much more protein!) in my diet! Thanks, all!

I was able to progress to pureed/soft foods today and my dietician told me that she only wanted me to consume 5 grams of carbs or less per meal! How is that possible? That means absolutely nothing but meat I guess. I was so looking forward to the refried Beans Btw, I tried one scrambled egg with cheese and one morning star veggie sausage pureed and it came right up. Ugh, so frustrating!

I was wondering if when you go into your Dr's office for post op visits, do they ever take your blood to test you for vitamin or other deficiencies?

I was sleeved on 12/8/2011, and am on soft foods, I can pretty much handle whatever I eat as long as I take my time and chew it well, but lately I am craving hot stuff!! If I have chili I want to put hot sauce in it, when I have fish, I wanna put hot sauce on it. I know my NUT said that food tastes change, but I never liked hot things in the past...Anyone else have weird food cravings since surgery?? :biggrin:

Today, I got a late start w/ my day... Can't sleep at night??!!! Anyway, For dinner, I'm having 2 oz of chopped lamb (I made it like a burger, but in the oven w/ lots of good seasoning.. OOOOHHHH.. it's delicious!!), a tbsp of sweet potatoes and a tbsp of creamed spinach from Boston Market... I'm so excited!!!!! What are you eating???

I'm only 4 days out i feel like I'm swimming. I have to do 2 weeks clear, 2 weeks full and 2 weeks puree. I hate to whimper, but 10 more days???? Ugh! I'm not hungry, but what I wouldn't give for a tsp of refrieds. How did you all do it? Is my doctor extra strict?

I am almost 18 months out, 151 down and 90 to go. I can eat almost a whole can of progresso soup (16oz). Is that bad? I am talking about the ones that are mostly liquid like italian wedding, not like the high fiber chili. How fast does water run through the stomach anyway? When i drink water it does not take me long to down like a 20 oz glass. Am i alone in this?

So, I'm almost a month out.. (Tomorrow will be 4 weeks!!).. And I've finally transitioned to regular foods... with a few exceptions.. but I'm SOOOOO glad to have something that is MEAT!!! Right now, I'm having dinner and I have 4 small turkey meatballs (Perdue brand) w/ a few broccoli florets and a tsp of tomato cream sauce and I feel like I'm in heaven!!! I may not finish it all (seems like such a SMALL amount compared to the big bowl I would have!!), but the burst of flavor and spices... Yum, YUm, YUM!! Just wanted to share my excitement... What are you having for dinner???

I'm very curious as to what your post-op diet was. There are so many variations to it by different doctors. I think my doctor's office is super conservative. How long were you on clears? Full liquids? Pureed? Thanks!

nevermind

After sleeve surgery what types of food are forbidden? Before being banded, I asked the doctor what foods (or drinks) would be off limits. He said you can eat everything as before just in smaller quantities, which was a LIE! I know carbonated drinks are to be avoided. No strawberries or small seeds for a while - how long? What else?

I see that some people eat 3 meals and a snack or 6 meals-And I just wondered how that works? I eat 3 meals a day 4 hours apart which is what my doctor wants. When I eat a meal I am full and then there is no way I can eat anything again for the full 4 hours. I've tried moving it up by 30 min or an hour and I could barely swallow a bite. So how do you work in 6 meals? Or when could you fit in a snack? I don't do Protein shakes so each meal is an actual meal. I don't want to change my plan, I'm just curious about why our sleeves act so differently.

Hope you all had a great Christmas! I am only Two and a bit weeks out and have no problems drinking. All the instructions from the nutritionist were about cramming as much protein as I could in the early days. I am still on full liquids so I have low fat milk and a number of protein drinks throughout the day. I usually stop counting after the 70 g protein mark. Today I looked in this and I had 700-800 cals and up to 120g proteins. Is there such a thing as too much protein? Should I cut down?

So I bought some sugar free candies to have a "sweet fix" without getting all the carbs. But the package counts sugar alcohol as carbs. Are these carbs the same as regular carbs as far as weight loss is concerned or do they only affect your blood sugar differently? I guess a better question would be if I am trying to stay below 40g of carbs a day, do I count these as part of that total?

I was just wondering at what point people started to eat nuts...how many weeks after surgery? thanks for the help

It seems like alot of people don't do rice. Why is that? Also, I'm 3 weeks and 2 days out and I'm supposed to be in the purreed stage for another 10 days but I cannot stomach one more yogurt or cottage cheese! I had sushi for lunch...2 of them, so far so good.

Before being sleeved my son and I went to Chipolte on the regular. I would either get a buritto or three soft tacos, plus I would order two bag of chips (to share with my son) and an order of guacamole. I'd also take a couple bites of whatever my son ordered. Post sleeve, we still go to Chipolte on the regular...about once a week. Now I get the burrito bowl with grilled fajitas veggies (onions and green peppers), double steak, mild tomato salsa, corn salsa, and cheese. We still get two bags of chips and an order of guacamole. When we take it home I enjoy 1/3 order of chips with about half of the guacamole and just a little bit of the bowl. Then I divide the rest o…

I am four weeks post and duebto my lactose intolerance, I can't tolerate ensures, or any protein shakes. Can someone please help me on finding a protein supplement. Thanks

Hi everyone, so my doc says I can start pureed foods today. Where do I start? It all sounds so gross! I can't think of one thing that I would puree and eat, besides a banana. Pureed meat? I'm gagging at just the thought of it! lol Any suggestions for something tasty?

I'm about 6 weeks post op now and i lost a total of 41 pounds. During this period of weight loss i stayed away as much as possible from foods with high fat, carbs and sugar. How much of the above should i limit myself to in my daily diet? Thanks

I am seriously having a hard time getting 64 oz of fluid in every day. I'm trying small sips, but anytime I take more than two sips within a couple of minutes, I feel nauseous and full. And I'm still having issues being about to eat enough to get all my protein in. I am 4 weeks out. It's got to get better, right?

I'm will be tracking my food on My Fitness pal. Can I give my nutritionists access to my account or do they just want it on paper.

I've read so many different descriptions of "Full Liquids", "Pureed", and "Mushy" foods and I still don't know how to determine what type of foods are in each category! I understand that Full Liquids are creamed soups, cottage cheese, yogurt, and puddings. What foods are Pureed and what foods are Mushy? What's the difference between the two? If you have to puree everything in the Pureed stage then isn't that the same as Full Liquids? I'm soooo confused!

Hi folks, this is my first post, am pre surgery, and am looking to get sleeved in the first quarter of next year. I wanted to know if, during the phase after surgery where you need to eat soft foods, would baby foods be appropriate? It seems like it might be a good choice with decent variety, and fairly nutritional, with the right consistency. Also, why do you need to watch your diet so closely (calories, fat. carbs) when your stomach is one tenth the size as before? Thanks for any replies, and I am sure you will be seeing me around alot! Cos

Curious to know if anyone eats Sugar Free Ice Cream or Sorbet? After meeting daily protein goals of course.....

hello i am just about to start my 4th week of post-op and after the 5th week (jan 19) i can go back to normal eating/ foods so i get off the full liquids diet i have been on since 3 days after surgery.... and i am trying to get an idea of what to start on. what kinds of foods, meal ideas, foods to avoid completely, and what are the best thing to start with and what and when should i start adding certian things? i have heard lots of different things about what not eat and what not to eat from people that havent had the actually surgery and so im an just trying to get an idea of what fellow sleevers have been though and and what you all recomend. please help a sista ou…

Okay, this is my 2nd day on stage 3 (pureeds/blended) and I can't see much difference between this diet and full liquids. They gave me a short list of things to try but they look gross blended. Think about drinking cottage cheese! I read other people's posts and no one seems to be on stage 3( pureed) for a month and stage 4 (very soft foods) for another month before trying regular foods. Stage 1 was clear liquids for 5 days and Stage 2 was full liquids for 2 weeks. What do you guys suggest?

I am wondering if there have been any published studies that shows that weight loss surgery patients who follow low carb diets lose better then those that dont? I am 2 weeks out, just moving into pureed foods and while I have been planning on low carbing it, I wonder if the evidence supports that. NUT is more moderate about carbs - she wants us to eat Protein first, but isn't worried about fruit and higher carb veggies. Of course, simple sugar type carbs and junk food are off limits to get maximum weight loss. I am still very tired, can't tell how much of that is due to being fairly low carb so far - I generally have 20-30 total carbs while on liquid diet.

My daughter had the RNY bypass and has problems eating leftover chicken breast claiming it is too dry to swallow. I'm planning on having VS bypass surgery and am wondering if this problem has occured with anyone here. Deb

So I got a juicer and just started using it. I wanted a way to get my vitamins and minerals in more naturally. Today I juiced a carrot, 2 stalks of celery, a big hand full of spinach and a small apple. It tasted great, filled me up and made me feel so healthy! BUT>>>there was no protein in it. I am 8 months out and at goal. Am I making a mistake by trying to get some good nutrition this way?? I still plan to drink my protein drinks -3 per day- to make sure I am getting my protein in. Any words of wisdom or warning are much appreciated!! Living the dream, Laura

Not that I really eat the same thing every day. But always looking for new ideas. It's only me most of the time so I don't have much interest in making casseroles or anything with more than about 3 ingredients! I'm not really watching carbs-I allow myself 1 bread/starch max each day. Love the sandwich thins/bagel thins (can only eat 1/2 at a time) Today I Pam sprayed a corn tortilla and grilled it. Top with 1/4 cup fat-free refried Beans, onion, fresh salsa and 3 Tlb Fat free cheddar cheese. What quick, easy things do you make (outside of shakes of course)? Share some ideas????

Has anyone cheated and started from pureed to soft foods before you were supposed to? I"m a little over 3 weeks out and I don't think I can stomach any more cottage cheese, yogurt, or cream soup. I've been eating macaroni and cheese and just chewing it really well. what about ground beef? any thoughts?

I have a few more weeks of full liquids to go. It just wasn't that fun to eat with the family. I don't mind that they are eating something different (although baked chicken certainly smells better than bean Soup or oatmeal), but taking so long to eat 2T - 4T of food, and it being cold quickly, and much of it being stuck to the bowl, and the spoon too big for small containers, was just no fun! So I took some advice and bought an electric mug warmer off Amazon. Some of the negative reviews stated that it didn't keep coffee "hot", it kept it "warm". One person's curse is another person's blessing, I guess. So I keep that at my place at the table. I also went to a resta…

Mmmm, was getting desperate for something besides tomato soup, so for New Years the hubby and I ordered Chinese. I threw the delux wonton in my magic bullet and it puréed so well! I recommend it for anyone looking to get some new flavours during their puréed stage!

Show of hands....how many folks only eat special foods marketed to Bariatric Patients? For example, Bariatric Choice, Bariatric Advantage, ProtiDiet.... I'm just wondering if it's worth the investment or is it just as good as picking and choosing foods from the local grocers. I do use a protein powder, but I it from WholeFoods and it has 4g of carbs, 32g of protein and 80 cals and it's usually around $22 per container. Lasts about 6-8 weeks.

I've talked myself in circles over here while I'm doing some advanced planning. My NUT says that meal sizes are supposed to be 4 oz, or half a cup. I'd always thought that 4 oz was referring to the weight of the food, but it sounds post sleeve as though it's the size of the food (and the size of the sleeve)? And that food needs to be translated to cups (i.e 1/2 cup = 4 oz)? So if I am breaking down a meal with Protein, veg and fruit, it would be: 1/4 cup protein, 2 tablespoons veg, and 2 tablespoons fruit? Do you measure precooked or cooked? I'm assuming cooked since many foods shrink while cooking. And how do you get green Beans in a tablespoon?! Is there …

What are your tips for eating out? Do you have a protein shake before going out to a restaurant ? Do you ask for a to go box before you start eating your meal? Your favorite meals and your favorite restaurants? Please share your tips for eating out

Just finishing my second week post op. Can begin soft foods tomorrow. I have done extremely well with everything I've tried so far. I have felt like I could eat anything. Have had no problems. I've eaten grits, oatmeal, puddding, Jello without any problem. I was so much looking forward to scrambled eggs. So I tried this morning (a day early, I know) and did not enjoy at all. It's hard to explain. It was more an issue in my throat than my stomach. Ate a couple very small bites and stopped. Just an uncomfortable feeling. So I'll try some other soft foods and go back to my egg (maybe fried with Pam?) on another day.:001_smile:

I'm 2 wks post-op tomorrow and on Stage 2 of my diet. Stage 1 was the first 5 days: Clear liquids. Stage 2 is full liquids from a list given to me by Dr.'s office nutritionist for 2 weeks. Stage 3 is pureed for 4 weeks! Followed by 4 more weeks of very soft solids. I am having a hard time with Stage 2 because they ask that I have 3 meals, 3 Snacks. Sample menu calls for the following: Bkft= 1/2 c cream of wheat, 1/2 c skim milk; snack= 1/2 c whey Protein shake; Lunch= 1/2 c strained fat free cream Soup, 1/2 c sugar free pudding; snack= 1/2 c protein shake; Dinner= 1/2 c cream soup again, 1/2 c fat free yogurt; snack= 1/2 c Protein shake. Is it just me or is this a lot o…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16344228 "A diet rich in Vitamins and fish may protect the brain from ageing while junk food has the opposite effect, research suggests. Elderly people with high blood levels of vitamins and Omega 3 fatty acids had less brain shrinkage and better mental performance, a Neurology study found. Trans fats found in fast foods were linked to lower scores in tests and more shrinkage typical of Alzheimer's. A UK medical charity has called for more work into diet and dementia risk. The best current advice is to eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, not smoke, take regular exercise and keep blood pressure and cholesterol in…

Just curious what you all think about the reduced calorie frozen meals as an occasional go to food? I tried the Lean Cusine Sweedish Meatballs last night and I know way too much sodium, I feel it this morning but, sometimes I just want something warm (ie no turkey or chicken cold cut slice), fast and easy. I could only eat the meatballs and they were probably full of fat. Since I had to have a second surgery two weeks following my sleeve as a result of a complication, I am still healing it seems my weight loss has stalled. Doctor said it is because my body is generating white blood cells and concentrating on healing the wound in my abdomen. I want to get back on the…

I'm four weeks out and just starting to cook again this week as I'm able to eat soft meats and mushies. I'm a young hispanic woman that prides myself on preparing traditional dinners and eating as a family every night. While I do not dictate to my hubby and kids what to eat, (they are not overweight) I do want to incorporate healthier cooking for them as well. Yesterday I made myself (on my new george foreman grill that I love!) a tilapia filet and grilled zucchini. Omg yumm!! I was only able to eat half of the filet and a few pieces of zucchini, but I was full and feeling good. I made my family some grilled sausage and rice. Tonight I made myself a mini meatloaf w…