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To be fair, when most nutritionists say "no carbs" they don't mean "no egg yolks" or even (usually) "no plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese." (The carbohydrate in an egg yolk is so very small. It's a little higher in dairy foods, but it's still not that high. Reasonable people classify eggs, plain Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese as sources of protein.) Most don't even mean "no vegetables," because one of the few areas where there's scientific consensus about nutrition is the statement "vegetables are good." They probably mean "don't eat bread, pasta, rice, etc.," or phrased another way, "don't eat foods that are primarily composed of carbohydrates." They might also want you to leave out beans and fruit, but only if they are monsters. (OK, now you know where I stand.) By most anti-carb nutritionists' rules, broccoli and cauliflower are borderline (OK in moderation), and tomatoes and any kind of potatoes are right out, but kale and other lower-carbohydrate vegetables (zucchini, cucumber, ... eh, there are lists) are OK. ... I mean, obviously, check with your team, but I'm pretty sure they didn't mean that extreme a rule, at least not for long-term. For now, maybe they really do only want you to eat high-protein foods; mine sure prefer that I focus there, though I'm allowed to have a little fruit in my cottage cheese and a couple of crackers with my tuna salad, you know? At least when I talk to the nice nutritionist; there's a hardliner at my surgeon's office who I avoid, and she might not allow those things. Also, for dairy with a bit more protein and less sugar, I really like Fairlife milk. I usually prefer 1% when I'm drinking normal milk, and I'm really happy with their skim. My spouse, whose preferences are even stronger than mine, is also happy with their skim.

I have had a number of complications including cdiff after surgery so I am behind on the food progression. Cottage cheese didn’t work well and the only thing I can stomach the thought of is yogurt. I have tried tuna, canned chicken, and gauc. Pre-surgery I would have gladly eaten it all but post-surgery it all grosses me out. Does this pass? Do I need to force myself to eat stuff so I can get past it. I can also no longer handle anything sweet. And the protein drinks aren’t working very well for me. Any suggestions?

I ate a lot of yogurt in the first few weeks. It was high in protein and made me full. I ate the Oikos Triple zero.

I just came back from my one month checkup with my surgeon. He informed me not to have any carbs just protein and to eat only 3 meals a day. I don't think that is right for me as i still can only tolerate about 2 ounces a food at a time and I don't think 6 ounces a food a day is good for my system. I will still continue to eat 5 small meals a day. He did state for me to still have eggs and vegetables, just no bread or pasta. He also informed me that i was having too much dairy in my diet (i.e. protein drinks, yogurt, lowfat cottage cheese).

Visit a local GNC, vitamin shop, etc to get a recommendation for a (gains or builders) protein. They will likely recommend something higher in quality than Premier and if it's causing intense hunger oatmeal may just be out for you. If you want to continue with it, try eating yogurt or cottage cheese along side the oatmeal instead of Premier. If that doesn't work you may have to learn to drink away hunger. Or adding low GI vegetables in a salad that is filling for very little cals.

Thanks all for your replies!! I just ordered the 6 qt one from Amazon with accessories so I can make yogurt and cook eggs, too!! Excited to get it.

Just to update everyone. I called my surgeons office and they changed my nausea medicine and I’m doing much better I am now able to tolerate water and broth at least I even ate a couple bites of protein yogurt today so I feel successful.

Follow-up to this post. This went away a few days after I posted. My theory is that I got a pill stuck (a large antibiotic) in my esophagus and it caused a bit of a burn. I took the pill before bed without enough water. Just took a few days to heel. I'm now 3 weeks and 3 days out. Have lost just under 20lbs thus far and its been pretty painless. I have noticed that my restriction isn't where it was in the first couple weeks but if you eat enough it certainly lets you know. The biggest benefits are lack of hunger pangs and a built in portfolio control mechanism. It would be easy to graze all day especially on soft foods. One must guard against that. My typical day (though Thanksgiving and a big birthday party yesterday were exceptions looks like this): breakfast: fage 2% yogurt (with a little splenda and some cinnamon) or atkins protein shake ~200 cals lunch: small or medium soup or chili from soup place near my office ~200-300 cals dinner: 3.5oz tuna (half of 7oz can) or similar amount of canned chicken, celery salt, a squirt of avocado oil mayo (Sir Kensington), and half of an avocado. ~400 cals late snack: half a fage yogurt or cottage cheese. ~100 cals This is the first time in my life that I've ever been able to eat "half" of anything. I probably need to tone down the tuna at some point due to mercury. Lastly, I can't get the water down that I need to. I'm just not thirsty. That remains an uphill battle.

That is the question. Upon close examination of my eating habits, I find that I am more likely to snack and feel head hunger when I eat breakfast within an hour of waking vs. many many hours later. This was true for me pre-op, but my nut and docs were adamant that I include breakfast in my daily diet. I have eaten 1 scrambled egg white, 3oz of turkey sausage coins, and 3oz of caramalized onion/sauteed mushrooms every day since introducing "real" food again. I wake up at 6am and eat no later 7am, even if I'm not feeling hungry. On the very few days I don't have time to make myself breakfast I pack an extra yogurt, head out the door, and forget about food until about 10:30 or 11. Has anyone else experienced this? Do you trust your gut (pun intended) or stick to the doc's orders? I am curious to know if there are long term cons to not eating breakfast within a certain time past waking up.

I had surgery Oct. 31, 2018 and I'm heading to the doc now for an EGD. Pretty sure that I have a stricture as I can't even get yogurt down. Some regrets but I'm sure when the weight loss is evident, all the regrets will disappear. Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

All of these! Also Greek yogurt has a ton of protein as far as bang for your buck. I bought protein pudding off Amazon, the brand is MHP and they are pretty good to snack on. A bit expensive but worth it. You can scramble 2 eggs with one tablespoon of milk and throw that in a food processor to puree as well, it makes 2 servings but if you miss eggs it's ok (consistency is weird but I enjoyed them). Add cheese if you'd like. Refried beans are good. And my favorite meal has been the Ricotta Bake. Do yourself a favor and make this in a cupcake pan and they are a great 4oz meals with good protein and tastes great. I'm currently 4 days into my 2 week puree phase so lemme know if you have any questions! Pinterest has TONS of ideas for pureed meals as well. @Yessican

I mix unflavored protein powder into yogurt or soup quite often. I personally do not like Unjury and would suggest switching to another protein powder. We carry many options at https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/protein-powders/flavor_unflavored .

Early out: Pudding, yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta bake, mashed potatoes Intermediate: Pancakes, shakes, muffins, coffee Later on: Breads

NB: I do the bistro boxes sometimes, but right now I'm actually filled up by a chobani nonfat greek yogurt. So I'll bring a premier protein for midmorning and then have a greek yogurt at lunch and I'm good to go!

I'm 10 months out. And I can literally get every ounce of protein I need at each of 2-3 meals to make my daily protein goal. I also have a mature pouch. So I can get at least 3oz of veg in at the same meal. As for fiber and pre and probiotics, I concentrate on dark leafy greens and low glycemic veggies + fermented veggies (kim chi and sauerkraut) + some seeds/nuts/legumes + a bit of low glycemic berries and/or a green apple with peel for the pectin a couple times a week and a bit of Greek yogurt. I'm experimenting with adding inulin into the mix of prebiotic fiber. I also drink/use whole psyllium husks here and there in iced tea, green smoothies, and I make psylli wraps (psyllium + egg whites to make tortillas). I also am down to taking 10g of Miralax (down from 17-20g) per day and also take 2 Colace). I drink 120+oz of liquid per day with 80+ of those from pure unflavored water. If I skimp on any of those things, then the train schedule gets totally whacked. If I eat a crap ton of cheese, the scheduled is off-kilter.

First things first.... take a deep breath. You seem very overwhelmed, I can't give you answers but can ask questions and offer suggestions that might help. Have you tried changing consistencies? There are lots of soft foods like yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, that all have different consistency and can trigger your gag reflex or create that sensation. Have you tried chewing ice and using that to numb your throat and help prevent the choking sensation? Weight loss amount really does vary from person to person. Depending on what your start weight was, 30 pounds isn't too much. To compare: my surgery was on the 17th and I've lost 25 pounds with a surgery weight of 230. You know your body. If YOU are concerned about the rate of loss, call your surgeons office and they should have an RN available to talk to you and can check in with your dr if they are concerned. As far as poo goes... Milk of Magnesium mixed with prune juice, also known as a brown cow, is what we use here at the hospital to get even our most difficult patients to "release the kraken". Just be able to stay home all day and drink Gatorade! Lol. Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

To piggyback on this...anyone have any parental advice? My boys get a little of everything that is cooked for dinner (for example; chicken, broccoli, and rice) on their plate however I don’t force them to eat. We always have fruit and yogurt as an alternative “meal”. I do this because I refuse to make a separate Meal and also because the more I expose them to the foods we eat, the more often they actually try them (honestly, they really do!) Any other moms or dads have different ideas/advice?

I understand where you are coming from. I actually started my liquid diet (only) on the 16th of November. I cooked Thanksgiving for my family and I sat there and watched them all eat while I drank a sugar free-fat free pumpkin cheesecake protein shake. It was hard but my surgery is just around the corner. Jello helps and I just picked up the appropriate yogurt today. Push through, it's worth it.

I am a non-meat eating dairy free coeliac - so no exactly the same as vegan, but close. I used vegan protein shakes and bars for my pre-surgery diet, and still use them for post-surgery easy meals now that I am on solids. I used the shakes three-four times a day, sometimes with fruit or with powdered peanut butter to boost the protein. Soy yogurt watered down isn't as bad as it sounds when you are hungry! Good luck.

first time poster here-- I wanted to start writing a bit about my journey, not just to help other people by sharing my experience but also to help myself express my feelings. Warning, this is going to be a long post! Also I originally wrote this on another forum where there doesnt seem to be a lot of traffic, so I'm copying it here in hopes of more conversation. It's been just about a month since I had the Reshape balloon inserted (October 22). This is one of the various gastric balloons on the market, with the theory being that the balloon will take up some space in your stomach and force you into better portion control. The Reshape is actually two balloons tethered together so if one deflates and tries to exit the stomach, it will be stopped by its still-intact partner. I have been varying degrees of overweight for most of my adult life but after a knee injury 2.5 years ago and a multi-year tendency to poor diet and low activity, I found myself at 367 lb. I've developed osteoarthritis in both knees and one foot, and have been in more or less constant pain since my injury. I've been married for 6 years to a lovely man who shares all of my same bad habits-- we lost a combined 150 lb for our wedding, and without the looming deadline to keep us honest, we put it back on and then some. The Reshape balloon was actually my husband's idea; he did the research, compared the products (including traditional gastric bypass), and then spent about 2 months talking me into it. One of my goals is to lose enough to shut up the orthopedist long enough for him to give me another cortisone shot in my knee (because I would prefer that shot without the side of lecture, thankyouverymuch, and if I can say "well I've already lost X pounds" then maybe he'll just shush up and give me the shot). We enrolled in a program at a major medical university in our area. Each of us got the insertion (and eventual removal) plus an aftercare program (more about that later). My husband's program cost $8000 and his insertion was performed under "twilight" sedation at a hospital-affiliated medical professional building. My program cost around $9400; my weight dictated a different type of anesthesia and also carried higher risks, so I had to go to a proper hospital. Insurance will not cover this procedure, although it looks like insurance might be covering our anesthesia. Possibly. It would be nice to have some of that money back. The day before the insertion, you are required to have a primarily liquid diet, with yogurt being the closest to solid food you're allowed. The day of, you're not allowed even drinking water, and they do turn you away if you've not followed these rules (it happened to a man who was being prepped while my husband was in the recovery area). Once you're checked into the hospital, they give you and IV and take you to the surgical room, and once you get the gas mask on, you're pretty much gone. I have no idea how long I was out, but I was so thirsty when I woke up! You go home after the procedure; no overnight stay. That day isn't too bad, because you're mostly still stoned on the anesthesia. I had no interest in food but forced myself to drink some flat ginger ale and half of a protein shake. I slept a lot. It wasn't awful. The next day, though... ugh... so bad... you're given anti-cramping medicine (and good lord it is expensive) that helps, but your poor stomach is still trying to figure out what's shoved in it, and I spent the next 3 days or so with super angry, violent cramps. I also had bad acid reflux despite a daily Pepcid, and for about a week I had midnight hiccups that woke me up. I was pretty miserable and had even set a deadline "if it's not better by friday, I have to have it taken out." This mirrors my husband's experience (he's ahead of me by one week). I think I had stomach acid come out my nose once. It was really kind of terrible and I don't think I was prepared for just how terrible it was going to be. Those first few days, you're really not feeling like you want a lot of food, and you're supposed to stick to a liquid diet anyway. After about 4 days of this, I was feeling exhausted, run down, nauseous, head-achey and sick. My husband made me a mashed potato-- just one boiled potato, mashed, with no butter and the tiniest bit of milk in it, and it was the most delicious thing I'd ever eaten. It also fixed most of what was wrong with me. My headaches went away, I still felt drained but not bone-tired as I had been, and the cramping stopped, at least temporarily. It would come back when my stomach would get empty but I was getting more interested in food so I made it a point to always have a little something in my stomach. I have a new love of eggs. From there, the meal plan involves slowly introducing more semi-solid and soft foods, with heavy emphasis on proteins, and gradually working towards an unrestricted (although healthy) diet. My husband and I both progressed through these phases faster than the official plan-- we were eating plain boiled chicken breast by the end of Week 1 and salad by the middle of Week 3, when officially you're not supposed to be ready for salad till Week 5. Rice and pasta are not officially banned but they're not favored; popcorn is banned for the whole time you've got the balloon. Menus are built around lean protein, more lean protein, and veggies that are cooked till they're pretty soft. Carbs are part of the plan too, either carby veggies or unprocessed/whole grains like oats or the occasional slice of bread. So how does it feel now? Well, for me, usually it feels like nothing, but sometimes it bothers me, and it's hard to describe it. If I eat something that my body doesn't like-- which tends to be dark, leafy greens, whole beans (like edamame) or tough/fibrous veggies)-- my whole stomach feels heavy and "grabby" for the lack of a better word. It's like a cramp but not quite. And I get the most ferocious after-taste of those veggies. I had some sauteed kale which did not agree with me, and for 2 days I just kept belching up lawn mower bag flavors. Bleurgh. Sometimes I can feel some bit of food that's caught between the balloon and the inside of my stomach, but it's annoying rather than painful. You have to chew chew chew your food to bits while you're eating but sometimes it's hard to be perfect, and your balloon will let you know when you've had one of those times. I have random hiccups a LOT. My nurse says this is usually from eating too fast but sometimes it's first thing in the morning, so who knows. My husband is not as comfortable. He has moderate cramps after almost every meal. The nurse and the dietitian both say that's because he's eating too fast, and he's trying to get better at that. We did get another anti-cramping medicine (not the super expensive one) but he won't take it because it knocks him out. I've never felt the uncomfortably full feeling I'm told will happen when you overeat, but I've not really over-eaten since getting the balloon. But that kale, man, I am not touching that stuff till after the balloon is out. And I think edamame is going to end up on that list too. What's the rest of the program? Our expenses included 12 office visits, to cover a full year post insertion (aka 6 months after removal). We can see the dietitian, a behaviorist, a medical doctor or an exercise specialist (or we can see two in a visit and they count it as two visits, that's fine). We can also email questions to the dietitian or our nurse anytime, as long as they're not long research projects. Apparently participants in their program lose an average of 12lb more than non-participants, or so they tell me. But the nurse was a godsend during those awful days-- she was able to help us get a little relief where possible, and encouraged us to stick with it when we wanted to give up. So how are we doing now? We are both drinking oceans of water, which you must do because it's very easy to become dehydrated. We are currently consuming about 900-1000 calories each per day, spread over 3 meals and sometimes a snack. We tried going for the 5-6 tiny meals a day approach but it's just not for us. The dietitian says it's ok and we should do whatever works for us. We are also exercising 30 minutes a day (every day for him, 5-6 days a week for me) on a recumbent elliptical in our house. Progress so far: I've lost about 19 lb which I think is kind of awesome. My husband has had his balloon for a week more than I have. He's lost about 23 lb. He has 19 weeks to go and I have 20. I don't believe we will keep up this rate of weight loss but I sure would be tickled if we did. Feel free to ask me anything and I'll try to answer!

Your taste buds will recover eventually. I wish they wouldn't! You are at an uncomfortable stage -- I remember it and felt the same way as you but looking back, I wish I had taken advantage of all that and just relaxed a bit. But that's hard. So, yes, start trying different foods. Some will work and some won't work right away. Eggs were always my go-to. Yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, etc. really helped me through it. I used to hate cottage cheese and now love it! But, I had to start out by adding jello to it. In fact, at the beginning I would add jello to plain yogurt as well. For the yogurt, I added the completed jello but for the cottage cheese, I added the jello powder into it along with a little bit of sugar free coolwhip. Mmmm. Still my favorite dessert. You can also add jello pudding powder into cottage cheese with a bit of coolwhip. When you can have it, I also add some crushed pineapple into it. Best of luck. You will get through this and do great!

Hi all - I am 1 week and 1 day post-op. It's Thanksgiving and as my son and hubby are enjoying dinner with family, I sit here wondering what is going on. Like seriously WTF?!?... I am doing everything right food-wise... only the best proteins and, sugar free puddings with whey powder, bariatric branded soups, and drinks with powder - absolutely no sugars & no fats. But I am having what I feel like must be dumping syndrome after anything with whey protein in it. The only thing my tummy has not rejected is fat free cottage cheese with pepper and a little salt. I was doing great meeting my protein and water goals in my first week, I tried some greek yogurt and whey powder 2 days ago and it didn't sit well. Now, I have been having a tough time getting my meals and water intake back to where it was. Maybe this is all normal and I just need to chill out... my surgeon and dietitian made sure to scare me good about dehydration so I am concerned lol. I will put a call in to the office tomorrow but thought perhaps someone has experienced this and can share some insight. Peace, love and smaller pants, Cooper's Mum

I could fart on demand pre-surgery, always had a full tank. But now it is extremely rare. I'm 3.5 months post-op. I still stick mostly to yogurt and protein shakes... Other foods still give me a stomach ache. I may try a Brussel sprout or two at Thanksgiving tomorrow, wish me luck! (now burps, those are still frequent if I eat too quickly)

I spend more time in airports than I do at home some weeks, so I might be a resident expert here! At 5 months out, there will be tons of options available for you. It's harder on liquids and purees but not impossible. As mentioned, nuts, cheese crisps, protein bars are available in the news stand type shops. Also jerky, protein bars, protein packs with dried meat and dried cheese together. Lots of restaurants have a to go section with yogurt, fruit cups, hummus etc.. There are also premade salads readily available, and sandwiches you can just eat the meat out of. Even fast food, you can get a chicken sandwich and just eat the meat, or burger and just eat the patty. Sit down restaurants are just like any other restaurant, so always some kind of good choice on there. When I'm at DET, I often eat at Sora, the sushi restaurant. There is a Vino Volo, which has meat and cheese plates. PF Changs has good options. I usually get chicken lettuce wraps or the hot and sour soup. Vino Volo and PF Changs are in many airports, not just DET, so I eat at those pretty often. Finally as mentioned above Plum Market has good options, I've also eaten at Adiamo and been happy.

Hi - I had gastric sleeve surgery approximately 2 weeks ago. I did very well after surgery, no complications, no pain. I have been tolerating clear fluids well; however, the past several days I have been very nauseated to the point that I can't really stand to drink protein shakes or anything else. I can tolerate the shakes and even some yogurt, but the thought of food repulses and nauseates me. I have not experienced vomiting, just nausea. Did anyone else experience this? All I read is how everyone else is doing great...is this just my experience?? Zofran is not helping with the nausea.