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Love it! This is a very reasonable menu for the day. I like that it relies mostly on real food and supplies a lot of nutrition from veg, fruit, and beans. My dietician would be thrilled with the macros. If you wanted to avoid the protein shake, you could maybe add 3oz of ground turkey to the chili to make up the protein. I'm 10 months post-op and this would be a manageable/very filling amount of food for the day.

The time has come in my journey where I have had a little weight gain - about 3lbs in 10 days. I know it is to be expected it is just a little frustrating! For reference, my typical day of eating includes some protein porridge for breakfast, a sandwich or a salad with some chicken/avocado for lunch, some soy marinated boiled eggs as a snack, and then for dinner is usually some form of meat for protein, some veg and some carbs (I'll eat the veg/protein first). I try to aim for 2.5L of water a day - usually manage anywhere from 1.5-2L if I am honest! I do drink tea & coffee, and I go to the gym 3-4 times a week, mostly doing a range of weight training, and also 20-30 mins of cardio: my go to cardio at the moment is on the treadmill, on a 12 incline, speed at 4.8-6 and walking for a set amount of time. ANYWAY - just feeling a little disheartened!!

Thank you for your concern, I actually am set with vitamin for the next 6 months, so I will plan their budget when I start running out on the supply, I unfortunately have seen the affects of not taking vitamins has done to people so I don't want to let it get to that point. I will use this weekend to work on my budget again, if I don't rely on the protein drinks, then I can use the money from the drinks to buy more slid foods, I may need to rework my schedule too, get up 30 mins earlier if it means getting a solid breakfast perhaps, I will probably take a hot minute before I can get a new routine, but I will try to make it work

I don't have experience with that personally, but I'd suggest talking to your dietitian about it. Coming up with meal plans for diverse patients is literally a big part of what they do. As I think through possible issues, a couple of things come to mind that you should discuss with them: What can you eat to meet your nutritional needs that don't require a lot of meal prep? Obviously there are protein shakes and meal replacement shakes, but as much as possible, it would be good to eat more real food. Are your caloric or macronutrient needs different due to the long work hours? The kind of work you do will probably dictate this to a large extent, as a physically demanding job like construction would be really different than what you'd need to power through long hours in front of a computer where mental acuity is important. Best of luck.

Coffee wasn’t restricted for me after WLS but I absolutely used the protein shake as creamer work around daily. It was the absolute best option to make sure I got all the protein I needed because coffee made me have even less of an appetite.

I also used a 60ml (2 oz) glass and kept the protein shake cold in a Thermos. Same with broth, kept it warm in one, set 15min timer, and just every 15mins sipped on the "meal" or plain water between. It was a bit tedious, but got the job done! 😊

I do totally understand the sister sizes, but thank you. That is my concern that if I were to go with a D now at 36 that if I do actually get down to a 32, which is what size I was when I was 25 so technically I guess it is possible, that I would be a triple D or F depending on the brand and where it’s made and if I recall correctly 32F was one of the harder sizes to find. I am just tired of having to go to one store that is almost always out of stock and have very limited options for bras. So I’m thinking maybe I should go with a C to be safe. That is true that I can always wear a padded bra or even one of them water bras if I just had a certain outfit that I wanted to be a little bigger in. I never thought of that.

That's awesome, well done! Much easier to rest and get sleep at home! 👍 How are you feeling? Able to get your water and protein in?

I too skipped the whole pureed stage, continued on thicker liquids (mainly lentil and chicken soup) and protein shakes.

Thank you I’m sorry about your mom. It’s so hard to wait to get help and especially hard to see your loved ones have to wait. I definitely avoid eggs lol they don’t make me throw up but they do cause other issues eggs, lactose except for hard cheeses, chicken - except when it’s ground up, pork, anything fried, salad dressing, mayo, steak, and a lot of beef, protein shakes, protein bars, nuts, corn, onions, juices, oranges, avocado, most turkey, products, and turkey itself, pineapple, any food product from Starbucks - I am 100% sure this is preservative oriented, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, spinach (sometimes can tolerate cooked) I’m not really interested in sympathy, but you can tell there’s not a whole lot left. This is pretty much why I am now affected less than I was because having figured out the list I do end up eating something from the list eventually as I have no choice or I won’t eat. I’m sure I’m missing 10 or 15 items. I would think if it was a parasite my blood work would not be as good as it is. And my blood pressure is 120/72. I’m considering trying a protein shake that is clear to see if the other things that are in them causing the issue or if it’s actually protein but mostly, I’m just looking forward to getting a colonoscopy and an endoscopy to find out what the hell is going on

Hi, he thought as i had great success and no complications initially, as as my restriction was gone, it would be the best option for me. Paying myself

It probably depends a lot on what your normal diet looks like. If, for example, you normally drink protein shakes and want to continue having those, then you could take protein powder that you mix with water or milk. Honestly though, if this is just a week or two, why worry about it? I'd say go have fun and eat whatever you want on the cruise. If when you get back home you find your weight has creeped up, just reduce your intake a bit for a while until you get back to your current weight (assuming you like being at your current weight).

I ordered the cream of chicken soup and the protein shots. I had to throw them both away they tasted so horrible.

@Mspretty86 oh that is great! My food noise came back around a month ago, basically when I halted the exercise and got my P.S. I felt really outta control, but now Im back at it, I always meal prepped but my snacking was outta control so now I do 3 whole food clean meals. 1 snack and dessert like protein ice cream. Making sure I stay in my calorie deficit but eating enough to get them gains in the gym lol

Thank you for your insight. Yes my surgeon knows about me working out two hours a day and he is happy with my progress. He is only concerned that I am not consuming more food. I don't feel like eating much. I just focus on protein. I will try not to worry about weight loss. Thank you again

It is not, I assure you Have you factored in your implant weight? 5-7 lbs is not a big fluctuation if you ask me, people's weights can vary by 5 lbs a day. How's your cycle? Water intake? Protein? Muscle mass? Honestly, I don't think 7 lbs are worth stressing over at all, unless you see a steady pattern of weight gain over time, which in any case can be addressed and reversed. I say you are doing fantastic

How is everyone doing?? I am 22 days post op VSG and feeling great at the moment. 25# and several inches, tolerating all my liquids and hitting my protein goals. Currently on puree diet and excited to be moving to soft diet next week 😍

That's very different from my pre-op. I was on three Optifast products a day plus pretty much unlimited non-starchy veg, and about 100g lean protein. I didn't get dizziness. Do you have a dietician as part of your surgery that you can talk to?

You're doing great! I find it easier to hit my protein goals than my water. 😔 I'm 20 days out from surgery and have lost 30lbs. I decided before surgery I wasn't going to take measurements. I will just use how my clothes fit. 😆

ok! so first i put it in the microwave for like 2 mins to soften it so i can cut it. acorn squashes are HARD!! cut in half, place cut side down in oven to ROAST for 20-ish mins at 350°F, then cut side up with a dollop of butter (and optional brown sugar) in the cavity for another 30-ish mins. if its soft enough for ur liking its done! (so yum!...also, i ALWAYS add the "optional" brown sugar )

I just checked and at 2 months, I was down 20.6 lbs from the day of surgery. There's really not a hard and fast rule for how much you'll lose. Everyone is different and it depends on your starting point and how much you lost pre-op, too. I had some months when I lost a lot and other months where I hardly lost anything, but overall it moved steadily downward. My weight loss has stalled for the past month or so, now that I am more than a year out. The only guidelines I was given was 60g minimum of protein per day and 64oz water. I am now almost 14 months post-op and I've gone from 225 lbs on surgery day (251 was my highest, which was 6 months pre-op) to anywhere from 162-165lbs. My exercise consists of walking and that's it. I'd like to lose another 10 lbs but I'm also pretty fine with where I am as long as I don't gain (which is why I do hope to lose a bit more). I've gone from a size 22 to a size 12. I think I could still lose a bit more if I focused on cutting out some bad habits that have crept in with sweets/simple carbs, and if I increased my daily exercise to something a little more challenging than a walk. I don't count calories and I don't really track macros at this point, either. I just try to eat reasonable meals that focus on protein and veggies, and not snack too much or eat junk food too often. A typical day is either spinach frittata, Kodiak protein oatmeal, or a Greek yogurt for breakfast, plus a serving of mixed fruit (strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, grapes. Lunch is a good size spinach salad with 3oz chicken and some black beans. Dinner might be a bowl of homemade chicken, bean, and veggie soup, chili, or maybe some grilled meat and veggies. Sometimes I eat chickpea pasta with marinara and meatballs but other types of pasta and breads don't settle well. For snacks, I like string cheese and an apple, or some mixed nuts or roasted edamame. I have to be careful of overindulging in things like popcorn, candy, and cookies because they are too easy to eat without getting full (and sadly I don't get dumping from them). Red meat fills me up very quickly. The hardest thing for me now is dealing with the head hunger that makes me want to reach for food if I am bored or stressed. Getting the stuff out of the house completely is the only strategy that really works for me with that. My only real advice is don't drive yourself crazy. Just do your best each day and pay attention to your body. That's more important than counting calories. You're not on a diet! You need to figure out what you can sustain for the rest of your life, while paying attention now to the basics (protein and water, plus vitamins) to keep up your health.

Thank you so much for your response. It’s perfect timing that I saw this as I just left the Bariatric surgeon’s office. My experience with GLP-1s was quite discouraging. I was just about ready to give up trying to lose the weight I regained. However, my appointment with the Bariatric surgeon was quite encouraging. He agrees that I qualify for a revision surgery. He laid out the revision surgery options: Bypass, SADI-S or SIPS. Apparently the final revision surgery method will be determined during the surgery when he is able to assess my intestine length for the bypass/malabsorption effect. So for now, I’m going to focus on completing the program steps (Barium swallow, Psych appointment, Nutrition appt, support group, etc) so they can submit the PA for revision surgery. So I’m going to focus on completing the insurance requirements

Just adding to my accountability post! Had a reality check recently. As I was going over food log I noticed that I was letting too much processed stuff creep into my routine – protein bars, powders, low-carb bread, cookies (not just 1) fast food (small amounts but still) – and my gut wasn’t having it. I had to get honest with myself about what I was actually eating. So, I hit the reset button and went back to whole, real foods. I even started making my own sourdough again, and let me tell you, the bloat is basically gone, my energy is up, and that annoying food noise is finally quieting down. The scale is moving down, but more importantly, I just feel so much better!

Does anyone have any personal experience using any egg-white powders for protein, specifically in cooking or adding to other foods in lieu of other protein powders? I'm looking at NOW's egg white powder and a couple of Canadian brands (Muskoka Mornings & Canadian Protein), but if you've successfully tried another brand I'm all ears. Do you find the eggy taste strong or mild when you use it mixed in other items? How hard is it to dissolve? What did you use it in? I've read mixed reviews on both aspects across a few different brands now -- some people saying it takes a lot of 'elbow grease' to dissolve and still has a strong eggy texture, others saying they barely notice it. Specifically, I'm having trouble getting enough protein at breakfast time. Due to my meds schedule, I can't have dairy/calcium until 10/10:30, but I eat breakfast around 7am. Usually it's a high protein cereal and almond milk, or lately oatmeal made with almond milk or water -- but the oatmeal is usually 6g of protein or lower, and the cereal nets out to about 8. I've tried adding my usual protein powders but -- of course -- most the ones I can stand are whey-based. Not to mention, the texture when added to my oatmeal is just ugh. (I've got so many texture issues lately, ugh). Basically I'm looking for another option I can add to oatmeal (sweet or savoury). ((I've tried peanut butter powder these past two days and it's good -- just not something I can handle every day. I'm experimenting later this week with some other seeds & nuts, but most of them are too high fat for me as the first meal of the day and just don't offer enough protein. I've also gotten some chickpeas, I've heard that mashing some up and mixing it into the oatmeal before cooking will work as it has a bland enough flavour to not stand out and will come out roughly the same as oatmeal. That's tomorrow's experiment XD)) Any opinions are greatly welcomed!!

Hiya. Loads of us struggle with foods and hydration. Even now My stomach will say a resounding NO to something it was pleased to see the day before. I had terrible trouble with smells, my wild hormones made my brain think my body was pregnant. I called on my team such a lot through these stages. They were very understanding and helpful. They told me not to worry about what I couldn't do. TBH I struggled for months but once I could get my hydration right, I felt so much better. My surgeon was against protein shakes and had me on skimmed milk. It has great protein and you can add protein powder or my fav was peanut butter and banana. I was allowed coffee so had lattes. Some have dairy aversions so its not for everyone. I couldn't do pureed meat, it revolted me just looking at it. I made soups with lentils and beans in and added cheese. I blitzed these and ate it thick. I tried to eat 6 tiny meals a day. I ate a lot of low cal ice lollies, still do, addicted. Just do your best, its a tough time