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Hmm. I don't have any protein shake recipes, per say, because I don't like protein powders. I only drink Fairlife protein shakes. And I do add a strong shot of coffee to a whole shake. For instance, my favorite is salted caramel Fairlife. I use the reuseable Keurig pods. I fill the pod to the top with Dunkin ground coffee, and brew it on the strong setting and only 4 oz. Usually I drink it iced. Then I add sugar free Skinny Syrup in the flavor Salted Caramel. I do the same thing with Vanilla Fairlife and add Pumpkin Spice syrup. I've done this with Chai as well. I added a sprinkle of cinnamon and some sugar free Skinny Syrup in vanilla flavor. I do the same with strawberry Fairlife and use Strawberry Skinny syrup, and the same with chocolate Fairlife... I tried to add unflavored protein powder to jello. I couldn't eat it, it was so disgusting to me. And I'm not super picky. So I never got around to trying it in pudding, but a lot do that. As far as the frozen fruit added to the lean shake with honey... there's sugar free keto honey substitutes. It's about half the calories of honey but still has about 11 carbs per tablespoon. You should ask your dietician about what will be acceptable for after surgery. Every surgeon seems to vary. My team wouldn't want me to add the frozen fruit or honey. That's why I use the skinny syurps. Lots of flavor, without calories or carbs. I mostly drink the Walmart brand Crystal Light sticks in my water. Blackberry Lemonade is my favorite. I never seem to get tired of those. I've drank them for probably 16 years now.

Have you ever tried the GNC Lean shake? It has 30g protein and 170 calories

Here’s my opinion & it differs from others: I am 1y post op & have surpassed my goals. I believe that a lot of my issues with weight gain came from diet culture. Now, I live in the land of balance. I absolutely have had Mac & cheese (I like the reduced guilt from TJs & have it with Tuna). I think long term health & success comes from eating a healthy balanced diet. I do not ban anything, and never ever plan to diet or ban foods again. I eat a ton of Whole Foods, lean protein, Veggies & fruit. I feel and look healthy & fabulous. What I avoid the most is processed foods. I also tracked for the first year so I knew how many carbs, protein, calories and fat I took in & that helped me learn good habits. It also helped me learn what was not worth the splurge. So, IMHO, eventually you can have some Mac and cheese- once in a while. I realize everyone is different but this is my opinion & experience. I hope this helps.

Great to read everyone’s updates! I’m doing wonderfully. I am the happiest I have been for years and I feel great in my skin. I don’t know my weight but a few weeks ago I was at 199 (215 pre op) which I am delighted with. I know from my clothes it is still coming off but I am working through a bunch of issues with the scale so I’m not weighing myself. I’m also super lazy and I am sure it would be coming off quicker if I actually worked out once in a while. Note that I eat three times as many carbs as my dietician recommends and I eat significantly more calories than I need to survive. I am content to gauge and eat when I am hungry and as an ED survivor that is a huge win in itself. I’m not in a hurry. I’m cooking almost everything from scratch and it’s delicious. I can eat about 3/4 cup to a cup depending on consistency. No heartburn or any other adverse issues, and I stopped omeprazole two weeks after surgery. I consider myself very fortunate. My main reason for the revision was so I could eat dense foods that would just come right back up with the band. I am so grateful to take a big bite of anything and I feel a wonderful freedom with that. cay

I’m with you. I just had my appointment today and was so stressed that I was going to get lectured or my team would think the same things. I have about 150 more pounds to loose (at least) - so I was expecting to have lost at least 30 this month. It was just a goal I set for myself, but I really thought I could do it. After loosing about 23 pounds the first 7-10 days, I thought I’m so going to crush this…. Then a stall hit. My period came back (had it three out of the last 4 weeks) and I’ve been beyond drained. Turns out my BP was low and I’m mildly dehydrated. I kept saying “if I could do more I’d loose more”. The dr and dietitian both told me to ease up on myself. They said I’m doing great and they are pleased with my progress (turns out my weight fluxed up with my period so I’m down exactly 20 pounds from surgery day). Even so - they are happy with how I’m healing and told me to get hydrated, up my protein & calories (they gave me a range) and then told me to follow up with my pcp (see him Monday). But to stay on plan and they both think I’m off to a good start and that I will do well. The first month is all about healing, recovery and getting used to our new routines as we progress through the phases. They asked me what NSV I noticed when I was frustrated with the scales and encouraged me to keep watching my body change because that is sometimes a better indicator of progress (and I do see a lot of changes). I know it is hard, especially when we set goals for ourself and we don’t meet our own expectations. But slow and STEADY wins the race… we can do this!! I was so stressed going into my appointments but I was so happy when I came out hearing their encouragement to keep doing what I’m doing.

Ooh those are good ideas. I do have hummus and I'm going to get an avocado. I know I could have had hummus sooner, but without something to put it on I hadn't bought it yet, now I can peel and slice up cucumber! So if I have some hummus & cucumber with my other protein I can boost up the calories, that's great, thank you!

Could add a few tablespoons of hummus maybe. I would say avocado to just add calories but not a lot of protein there. I’m not home or I would just look at the container but according to google four tablespoons has 5 grams of protein and that 106 calories. 1/4 avocado is 80 calories and 1 gram protein according to FatSecret.com.

Hi! Thanks ShoppGirl I don't have a calorie restriction. I have amounts I can eat, which is now 1/4c to 1/2c of high protein depending on the food and how my body responds. I have to be able to cut whatever I want to eat with a fork, if it has to be cut with a knife I'm still not allowed to have it. Plus staying away from things that are too dry (like crackers) and pasta/rice. When I look at what I eat, like 1/2 a Chobani with 5 blueberries for breakfast, 1/2c of refried beans w/cheese and taco sauce for lunch, and 1/4c-ish of canned chicken mashed with mayo or like 1-2 ozs of pot roast - I'm not getting 350 calories from any of those. I also have protein drinks, milk, protein water, etc and those aren't 350 calories either. I talked to my psychiatrist again and my regular doctor yesterday and both said that it'll just lower the efficacy, but if I'm feeling fine, then we don't need to change anything - and I'm feeling fine, if anything I'm more anxious, but that's because of all the life changes, so I totally get that, Latuda doesn't help with anxiety anyway. I am trying to think of things to add more calories to one of my meals and take my Latuda then, but it can't be more volume and it has to be high protein, gotta get the nutrition that I can!

Hello! I am just under 6 months post op. My advise: start practicing changes PRE-OP. For example: PRE-OP I started Counted calories and logged everything (lost weight as a bonus). Stopped drinking soda (even tho I only drank diet). Stopped drinking with my meals. I feel like all these little things made the transition easier post-op. As far as being a student, I personally think you will be fine in 3 weeks. Of course everyone is different so take it with a grain of salt. I had no complications or any issues after surgery. (Luckyyy and thankful) I took a month off of work but ended up coming back at 3 weeks. I did get tired SUPER fast the first few days but after that I was pretty much back to normal. Good luck on your journey, it is SO WORTH IT!

One Month Follow-up I was sure I would get scolded for not doing better - but both the dietician and the surgeon are pleased with my progress. My BP was super low - could be mild dehydration, could need to transition off my BP meds - my extended period (or a combination of all three). I see my PCP Monday so hopefully we can work on that. I’m the meantime, my focus is hydration, work on bumping my protein and calories and increase my activity as I am able. I wanted to have lost more by now but both the surgeon and dietitian reinforced: I’m healing, I’ve had some added challenges and I’m doing well - stay on plan and track and things will keep progressing. The surgeon, who I expected to be the hardest on me, was very encouraging.

I have drank 2 times since surgery. First time I had 4 shots over 5 hours and it was weird, I actually made a post about it. The first shot hit me hard and quick but then passed quick and nothing else really eventful through the night. Was kind of a waste of calories. BUT! The second time I drank I was **** faced and passed out in the bathroom by 10pm. It was crazy. I made "skinny margaritas", to keep it as you say bariatric friendly. My recipe is : 24oz cup filled with ice, half shot of pure lime juice, half shot of pure lemon juice, 2 shots of tequila and 3 splenda packets. The only sugar and calories are in the alcohol. I don't know why I got so trashed on these and not the shots though, so BE WARE when drinking.

Hunger for most eventually returns but it could be about a year out. Use the time where you aren’t hungry to really focus on staying on your plan to lose the most you can. As for taste I completely get it. After my VSG there was a time the only things I could drink aside from warm liquids was grape Powerade zero. Once you’re into more soft and solid things it be a great time to experiment with spices. They’ll add tons of flavor without adding much in the way of calories. Curried salmon salad and the flavored tuna packets are great soft foods to try.

I actually thought you would be up to 350 calorie meal sooner than that. Does your team have you restricted on calories. I was just given amounts of food to have which if I was eating protein restricted my calories but by the time I got to regular food I could have eaten 350 calories at one of my meals if I tried. I personally have a shake for breakfast, a low calorie lunch and a higher calorie dinner so I would have taken it with dinner and made sure to add in something to get closer to the 350 if I had stayed on it. Of course if that puts you over calories for your teams plan then talk to your doctors first.

I had the sleeve and my surgeon only told me to make sure i am taking in a minimum of 800-1000 calories before i start moderate to strong exercise. as for carbs yours suggested a lot more than mine. For me its a max of 40 grams of carbs per day. all these surgeons are so different lol

Thank you! I feel fine so far, yeah and I will take in more calories in a few months.

Hey guys, so I am 10 months post-Op and I used to be a social drinker. I do wanna introduce alcohol socially only during dates and other outings. Ofc I know I'll have to be cautious and what not and that I will be, so question is what alcoholic drinks are more favorable for bariatric patients? Form your experience, which ones did you try incorporating? Something that's low sugar and less calories? Red wine, white wine?

When I asked my doctor he said to add more calories to help your body adjust, when I did that, I lost more weight. I only increased by 100 cal. but that was enough. The schedule my doc put us on was eating every 2.5 hours or so. breakfast - snack - lunch - snack - dinner. and multiple shakes were fine. The shakes I use are only 140 cal, but 24 grams of protein.

I lost my first week and then it just stopped at week 2. I am not at almost a month and am finally losing again. Everyone stalls. And a lot of people stall in the first month while your body is adjusting, try upping your calories a little to kick it. Best advice, DO NOT WEIGH YOURSELF DAILY. You will torture yourself with the up and down. I am doing once a week right now, and might switch to once a month.

Celebrating my 11th year anniversary of my RNY. Age 78, height 5/8, 299 lbs. Lowest weight was 165 (ideal) but the COVID "home bound" situation has caused some gain that I need to work on . Age now is almost 84 and some health issues are adding to water retention that has add to my weight. My story is that I gained weight after having 2 sons, starting two businesses created stress and a lot of responsibility fell to me. Diabetes became a big issue and while I reached 299 lbs.... diabetes was a big concern. My decision to have Bariatric surgery was guided by the fear of how diabetes was not under control. I was very fortunate to live near Indiana University Med Center which we use on a regular basis. IU has a great weight loss center with excellent nutritional department, and surgeons that operate in the best hospitals. At my age, the cost was taken care of by my Medicare benefit. The Dr that was assigned to me was the director of the IU Bariatric Dept. The Center gives out excellent information for the rules and reasons to prepare for surgery. My April start was to be the start to lose 35 lbs in 3 months but due to summer vacations, etc. it was 5 months to surgery. In that time I lost 55 lbs and had the option to continue on my own. I seriously considered that but since I had, initially, needed help with my diabetes, I elected to have the surgery. I'm very happy that I did. The increase of energy was unexpected. The diabetes meds and insulin was eliminated and hasn't returned, largely due to the fact that I no longer like the rich cream and sugar loaded junk. The small quantities that I can eat are a constant reminder that I need to fill up on good nutritional choices. Calories naturally come up to Breakfast: approx. 350 and consists of a tortilla with one mushroom, one small egg, diced onion, 1/2 slice of crisp bacon, and a sprinkle of cheese. Lunch (2 pm) is veggie soup or salad, dinner is served about 8 pm and is a minimum amount of food. Portion limits are always followed as are the eating rules....small bites!. A big help is that we no longer have a pantry full of bad snacks. Sugared drinks and juice is no longer in the house. Another help is we are the only two in the house now. It is much easier if you don't have to prepare additional meals for extra family members. Keeping busy is a key to not thinking so much about food. I'm a designer and building a line of paper and textile designs for personal use and interior decor. It is a business that I've had for 50 years and thought I was through but I guess not.

I am tracking my calories now. I find that i dont do well with tracking apps, i tried my fitness pal and bariastric but I never used them. I bought a calorie counting planner/journal which I am using now. Thank you for the motivating words. I do know I am still 130 pounds down from where I was, but it has gotten discouraging when I see the weight climbing back up.

I probably eat about half as much as I did pre-surgery. I could do a small turkey wrap (or half a large one) and maybe a side dish for sure. raw carrots can be hard on my stomach. In fact, I sometimes eat some of them when I'm at risk of binging on something. They tend to irritate my stomach, so it stops a binge in its tracks (usually....). Long way of saying - raw vegetables like that can still irritate our stomachs even after being years out - so that's not uncommon... I tend to go more by calories now, since I still count them. Pre-surgery, I was probably eating 3000+. Now I eat somewhere between 1600-2000, depending on how much exercising i'm doing. On holidays I've been known to eat more than that - 2300 or so - but eating that much makes me feel like i just ate an elephant, and I feel like crap that day and the next. 2300 would have been nothing when I weighed over 300 lbs. P.S. yes - I sometimes do feel restriction - but not like I did the first few weeks & months after surgery.

I had the gastric sleeve a month and four days ago. I did not get a calorie level recommendation from anyone, no. Currently, I am eating every three or so hours, but I cannot stomach either protein powders or greek yogurt. So I eat mostly chicken, eggs, fish, ground beef and some veggies. Not a lot of fruit. Sometimes a half or a whole protein bar per day. I cannot eat much more than around 40-50 grams of meat at a time. If I eat more I will throw up. So, I'm pretty much eating as much as I can. The only way to increase the calories would be with fruit juice or something like that, which is not on my list of recommended foods.

How far PO are you? Is there a calorie level your nutritionist recommends? Mine had me bump to 800, I'm eating 4 meals a day plus a snack. Every 3 hours I'm eating 2 oz of protein + 2 oz of either veg, carb or fruit. Snack is greek yogurt w protein powder. Constantly putting calories in, 150ish at a time. I feel so full of energy last week, walking 40-60 minutes a day between 2 or 3 walks. Plus I'm just up off my butt so much more than I used to be. I'd check w nutritionist, but maybe a little more calories?

Is anyone else feeling sleepy during the day and/or falling asleep after work? I'm getting at least seven hours of sleep every night and more on the weekend, but I feel awfully sleepy in the afternoon and quite often I fall asleep on the couch sometime between 5 and 7 PM, even if I don't intend to. I'm eating 4-600 calories per day and getting 40-60 grams protein daily, so I feel like I should have enough energy to stay up. Now it's almost 10 PM and I have a headache and want to go to sleep, even if I didn't get up until 7:30 this morning AND took a nap in the afternoon. Has anyone dealt with this and found a way to become more energetic and less sleepy?

All natural peanut butter is a better substitute if you have to have it but it is high in calories and could cause an obstruction. Your anatomy is still swollen and trying to heal. Stick with full liquids for this week