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I went on a road trip for the holidays at 2 months out. I took a giant lunchbox with me filled with protein shakes and ice packs, cheese and some other cold snacks (I can recommend a fantastic lunchbox on Amazon if you are interested). Then I filled the top of it with some Powercrunch protein bars, Quest sweet chili protein chips, Paleovalley meat sticks (they weren't too dry) and water flavoring packets (I like sugar free lemonade and the Jolly Rancher sugar free ones because I love sour things). I stopped every 2 hours to walk around and use the bathroom to ensure I was hydrating properly. And we stopped for 2-3 meals a day in addition to my shakes and snacks. It worked really well!! I didn't feel deprived at all. In fact, I felt better than I did on road trips before surgery because I stopped more often and hydrated better! Plus I was making wiser food choices.

Hi all, I had my surgery 1/24, the first two days I consumed 250-300 calories with only broths and water. I could hardly choke down a sip or 2 of protein shakes. Today I was able to incorporate yogurt and modified liquids. My “stage 2” stats are 64oz of water 72g of protein, 16g carbs and 11g of fat with 502 calories. is this too much?

Hi Surgery twin!! I’m not doing as well with water. I got about 30oz last two days! Today I made myself cream of wheat with fairlife FF milk and protein powder. Ended up being 10g of protein 0 fat and 9g carbs for 2oz. It felt so good going down lol! The swelling is not fun! I’m trying to stop my pain meds, they only gave me Motrin and Tylenol. No narcotics so moving is slow but making sure keep moving has helped! Today the goal is 48oz of water MIN! Let’s do this!

Hi all. I have been on bariatric pal since last June. I was scheduled for a Loop DS September but had a complication with AFib. This has been addressed and I am scheduled for Monday 1/29/24. I just wanted to say this topic for me has been most helpful. I see many posts about protein, eating often and low carbs. I think for me this is very helpful. The nutritionist I'll be working with works in the bariatric department. I expect I'll be utilizing her often. Just as an aside I have been on Atkins type diets often including the original Atkins in 1971. Great information, thank you.

For all my 1/24 surgery twins, we did it! But man has it been a RIDE already. I had some issues at the hospital surgery day with post surgery blood vomiting but that’s apparently normal. It was horrific and scary though. It went away and when I got home the next day, I did great with fluids. I’ve been keeping 64 ounces down. Starting soft today. Protein shakes/yogurt and more jello. So heats hoping. But the worst is the gas and incision pain. So much swelling but, trying to focus on the long term success. Sending love and healing to all!!!

I bought protein shake in powdered form & bought yoghurt drinks when I discovered them. (Be careful some have a lot of sugar/sweeteners & are actually low protein.) I didn’t realise I could make them myself so easily. LOL. I bought some supposedly flavourless pea protein to make my own smoothies but it was awful. All I could taste was peas (& I love peas but pea protein powder blah!). Some good tips I use when eating with others is not to eat while others are speaking. It slows you right down. And it means you give your full attention to others. Plus I put my cutlery down & lean back in my chair between bites even when eating alone. My last tip is to cut your food into small bite size pieces before sitting at the table. Of course you can’t do this when you’re out. I still do this at home. It’s like I’m prepping a meal for a toddler. lol! Use a small plate like a side plate for your meals (still do) to keep your portions small. I also used small ramekins. And I used a teaspoon initially & then a cocktail fork or spork instead of full sized adult cutlery to keep bites small. Some use children’s cutlery.

For smoothies I started with milk, added Greek yogurt or 0% flavoured yogurt. Some yogurts have lots more protein in than others. Fruit and some low sugar peanut butter. I never had any protein shakes.

Had my surgery Jan 24th, yesterday I was able to get 32oz of water and 20g of protein down. Tomorrow is day 3 and I am on stage 2 modified soft foods. I’m down 10lbs already but I did have a bowel movement yesterday. The gas sucks! But I was able to walk a block yesterday slowly and got a lot out…then took a 2hour nap afterwards. Today I feel better just sore

Hi Iv rang up and got appt next week Portions are small if OH puts it out it’s bigger but I always eat same amount and leave loads anyway I don’t eat extra even if he’s put more than I have on so much waste lol Trying to teach myself to chew chew chew and cut small bites I will see if I can remember when talking to someone at same time! I’m adding gravy and seem to do ok with chvolled tinned tomatoes Yeah chicken is hard for me I’m ok with minced beef just not much of it lol Thanks I will try chicken thighs Iv got a few protein shakes just for mornings to up my protein a bit I will look into smoothies to actually do you make your own? Or buy them I got my B12 yesterday I had forgot all about it in December then I wasn’t well and also no appts u til now but glad I have it done. Yeah trying really hard to get all meds in I have to take so many i take like 15 a day of different meds and it’s hard on my tum sometimes and run out of time to get them all in as not meant to take all together but sometimes I have to. Thanks for reply and for suggestions 😊 xx

I am not one that does well with being patient and therefore I am in a terrible place mentally. I never thought about having surgery as I didn't know the options that are available today. Meeting with my Dr, we talked about Wegovy and the lifetime issues I has had with weight loss and the continued failure to do so. He suggested sleeve surgery. At first I was not going to consider it thinking it wasnt for me. After weeks of research I decided it was the exact thing I needed in my life. This is where the impatience comes in. I met with a surgeon for consultation and I started getting excited about all prospects of life changing results this would bring. - Lowering bp and getting off all meds - recovering some kidney function - getting rid of sleep apnea or at least losing enough BMI that I could get an implant because I cant keep my mask on - Being able to become an athlete again - Not needing an extension on the airplane - Other benefits that are personal. I waited a week for them to run my insurance and it was denied. Now I am stuck saving enough money to try and get it in the distant future. I am not mentally doing well with that fact. I got it in my head that I was going to get on the right path for me sooner rather than later. I looked into financing but I am a teacher and can not afford an extra "car payment". So I need to save and wait...impatiently.

Hi all, Relatively new here and enjoying reading about everyone's experiences. My surgery is on 5th February. I have Multiple Sclerosis. I have been on a liquid diet for 6 days now (4 protein shakes a day, so around 800 calories total). The first 72 hours were, quite frankly, absolutely horrendous - I was headachy, very cranky and slept a lot (thankfully I was off work for a few days). Yesterday was my first day back at work and, boy, was it tough. I have a reminder on my phone to have water every 30 minutes and kept up with that really well and, while I did get hungry, it was the tiredness that really hit me. I was literally nodding off in a meeting at one point. My MS means I am generally fatigued all the time and so I have some little tips and tricks to help with that in general which might be useful for others. These have been hard to break through the fatigue and tiredness completely, but that may be due to my MS *and* the lack of nutrients and so may work for people without an auto-immune condition. Some things I do: Try to go for a walk every hour. Even if it's just a 5 minute stroll around the office, it gets me away from my desk. When I worked in retail and was on my feet all the time, I would take 5 minutes each hour to just sit. I would often go into the lavatory and sit in a stall. I live in the UK so was able to negotiate reasonable working changes to take my MS into account, and my managers were very supportive of me taking breaks. I realise this won't be the case for everyone, but if you can, I really recommend it. Fresh air. If you can get outside for your walk, do it. Even a couple of minutes of fresh air will help awaken your body and will help energise you. Also get as much fresh air as you can outside of work. I find that I am far more tired if I spend all my time inside than if I step out for a bit. Even at home. Do the easy tasks first. If you have a long task list - get the easy stuff out of the way. This will be an easy win and will give you a confidence and energy boost to tackle the more challenging items. We want to regulate and manage our energy and get the best pay off for minimal effort exerted. Smell peppermint, eucalyptus, lemon, etc. I always carry a small vial of eucalyptus essential oil with me and when I find myself getting particularly sleepy at work, just have a quick smell and it awakens my senses. Plus it smells lovely! Any essential oil that wakes you up and is "vibrant" will work. Talk. Tell your colleagues and manager that you're experiencing some fatigue at the moment and that it is affecting your energy levels at work. You'll be surprised how supportive people will be and how much people want to help. I hope this helps. Sending you all lots of good, positive energy. 🙏

Sorry im not familiar with the term ppi lol i think i may try the gas x though it is truly annoying having to belch every single time I swallow anything other than water. Also i was not prepared for the feeling of starvation i experienced yesterday i know im not following the diet exactly im not getting enough protein shake in there. But i felt truly hungry like seriously and it wasnt head hunger either my stomach actually growled. I didnt even feel that during the pre op liquid diet so it really caught me off guard. I also may be repeating myself i am im sorry these days are starting to blend. Today was a low day though i was depressed half the day i honestly wanted to just lay down and do nothing all day but of course thats not possible for me i have 3 young ones. My boyfriend helps out as much as possible but id feel bad leaving everything to him if i did that. I really truly cannot wait until this liquid portion stage is done and i am healed enough to eat FOOD i am going to devour some eggs and broccoli and spinach and i miss my fish oi im dying lol.

Congratulations on your loss. Whoo hoo! Might be worth checking your calorie intake & what your body actually needs to maintain your current weight & activity level. What portion size are you actually eating? I eat pretty much what is considered an appropriate serving size in maintenance e.g. 3-4ozs protein & a cup of vegetables. Took me to about 18 +/- months to be able to physically be able to eat that. I had been snacking a lot in between to try to stop my continued weight loss until I got to that portion size. I actually still do have to snack just not as frequently. Might be worth a conversation with your dietician to see if there’s something you’re missing & what you could add to your every day eating to help. Also, a growling tummy is more often than not your digestive system doing what it’s supposed to - digest food. Mine is noisiest during & after I eat for up to a couple of hours. Remember you can’t be really be hungry as you’ve just/recently eaten. Your cup of tea is a great idea when this happens. PS - I snacked on combinations of cheese, multigrain crackers & hummus, protein bar, fruit, peanut paste, nuts, yogurt, chia pudding, etc. about 5x a day. Yes I felt I was eating all day long. Now I snack 3 x a day on basically the same things & also occasionally beef jerky & baked fava beans/chick peas.

Instead of snacking as you’re driving, try stopping & having a proper meal - salad, soup, grilled/steamed fish, etc. At three moths you'll have a few more options. Even picking up some yoghurt or pack some protein shakes & have them in a park. It may take you a bit longer to get where you’re going but it should reduce your desire to mindlessly snack in the car. Remember that’s just head hunger - eating out of boredom as you sit in the car. Travel safely.

cheese sticks, beef jerky, protein bars should all work..

I would allow yourself more calories. I'd hate to see you lose all that hard earned muscle by not consuming enough calories to maintain them. Maybe add a couple more high protein snacks which are more satiating. Carbs will stimulate your hunger. No fat reserves and muscle mass dying to be fed. I'd love to have that problem. LOL Congrats on your success!!!

So I am almost 13 months post OP (mini gastric bypass). Posting in gastric bypass forums as mini gastric didn't seem much active. I have lost close to 162 lbs and now at 166 lbs. Achieved close to 100 % loss for my excess weight. I also have very good muscle build now due to strength training and all bones show up. But one thing is, my hunger is back. I am trying to keep meals small, like I was taking couple of months back. I eat slowly, even stop at times and then continue. No dumping syndrome or diarrhea, infant I get constipated at times. Use bathroom like once in 1 or 1.5 days. So I think I am not eating too much, as I am always scared to stretch my pouch. But unlike earlier, nowadays within 1 or 2 hours I start to feel hungry. Generally, I substitute that with a fruit, tea (milk one and green tea), make protein shake (whey and casein in night), raw tofu or low-fat cottage cheese. Earlier I could eat small meal and remain hungry for hours. But not anymore. The flipside I feel is constantly feeding every 2 hours, even with healthy options might raise insulin level that further impacts hunger hormone? I keep hydrated all the time, still but stomach growls every 2 hours. I think since I no longer have any fat reserves, and I have lot of muscle mass now which requires calories. Maybe thats the reason? What do you think? Thanks

Don't over think this stage. My taste buds were telling me that lots of my go to food was blahhh. I had an awful taste in my mouth which didn't help. I just ate protein yogurt, ice pops, strained soups and the tiniest morsels of hard cheese left to dissolve on my tongue. I was allowed coffee so had latte's and home made milk shakes, milk, banana and peanut butter blitzed. My doc was against protein shakes

Today was a very very rough day for me. Im tolerating water wayyyy better than the first few days. Swallowing protein shakes no matter how smLl the sip always gives me that feeling like someones squeezinc my stomach and im forcing out a belch soon after. That feeling is not pleasant makes me not want to drink them at all. On average i can get through almost 1 protein shake a day. Greek yogurt was okay still has the same effect as the protein shake though. Also when i tried sugar free jello same thing. I actually tried cream of chicken soup watered down. I wanted to cry because the taste is amazing but i just cannot enjoy it like i want because of how easy i get gas. Like i dont understand how i can have to belch SO much after swallowing smooth things plain smooth its crazy. Its a little depressing that i have to stick with this full liquid diet another whole week. I feel like im going to go insane lol. I made my 1 year old scrambled eggs she loves them and omg my stomach wanted to eat itself. I havent had a hunger pain like that since before pre op. It really caught me off guard. I was so close to devouring her eggs. At the risk of pain is the only thing that stopped me. This is going to be a long road for me.

I was only offered the sleeve as it was said I only needed the sleeve and that the others were not necessary. I just had my follow up and they changed my diet because they said I should not still be in the 300s. I should have lost another 20 lbs by now. So now I am on no carbs period and only water, healthy meats and protein shakes for protein since I don't really eat breakfast. Nothing sweet.

Hi my sleeve date is Feb 21st. I'm excited and trying to gather as much info as I can. What protein does most people use to mix with their water?

I surpassed my goal weight by 2pounds! in March is my 9 month follow up. I was just thinking back to two weeks after my surgery when I ended up in the hospital with dehydration and not hitting my protein goals. Here a I am kicking ass and taking names.

My surgery was 11/30, so I am about 8 weeks post op. I’ve lost 31 pounds and hit a stall. But dietician assured me to just stick with the plan and the weight loss will restart. Protein and Water goals are all I can think about lol

So interesting as they only required you to be on it for only 1 day. Every program varies so much as you can plainly see from everyone's responses. I had to do a 12 day preop diet. The first 10 days I could do 2 protein shakes and 1 lean protein and non starchy veg. Black coffee, tea, sugar free beverages all ok. A snack of low sugar fruits - berries mainly - was allowed. The 11th day was liquids only, but could include protein shake, sugar free jello, sugar free sodas, gatorade, broth. The last day was clear liquids only so no dairy at all (i did protein water and broth). 8 hours prior to surgery, I was to drink 16 oz of regular sugar Gatorade - as it was supposed to assist in recovery. 🤷‍♀️ The main point typically of this diet is to shrink your liver to make it easier to move to get to your stomach. I'm kind of shocked by the lack of details provided from your medical team. I had to do a whole Zoom meeting with the dietician and other patients having surgery done in the same window of time to discuss the entire pre and post op plan including the specific diet guidelines.

You can add unflavored protein powder to bone broth. It might even be okay with unsweetened herbal tea though I've never tried it.