Search the Community

My hope is that you’re being knocked about at the moment with the cold, thrush & now tonsillitis not because of the surgery as such but because you’re run down & your immune system is struggling. You’ve had pretty major surgery & aren’t eating much so your body is stressed trying to recover & heal from the surgery & from the reduced caloric intake. It’s natural post surgery to feel run down, tired & have reduced energy. It’s just left you open to catching every bug going & taking longer to recover from them. Well, as I said, that’s what I hope. Watch the yoghurt with the oral thrush & cold. Dairy tends to produce more phlegm & yoghurt that contains sugar feeds the thrush (look for plain Greek yoghurt). The phlegm is probably adding to your nausea too as it settles on your tummy. Try some Biotene dry mouth products - mouth wash, mouth spray, etc . to help with the dry mouth. Can’t you tolerate chicken soup or broth? There’s a reason it was always offered to those who are sick. It’s full of essential nutrients, vitamins & minerals, hydrates, is warming (& low calorie). Feel better soon.

I find this site so cumbersome, the way you can't just reply to a comment, but that's annoying aside. There is a lot to check out at Aldi's. I found some good 100 calorie packs, like the pretzels. Of course, these have to be a once a week treat because I'm still losing and just starting my 5th month. I found some cauliflower crackers, but didn't find much substantial food. I'm going back in a few weeks to look for those shrimp fajita packs. I did see chicken. I wish you the best of luck when you plan your Aldi trip.

February 17 Is my surgery and I'm going to Mexico. Have been on low calorie diet since the 26th of December to January 15. Then I go on a High Protein til Feb 13th. 14th and 15th of February Just liquids.

I still have “dessert” after dinner. I was also a raging chocoholic, but almost a month out from my sleeve, I have dessert 30 mins after I finish dinner. Dessert consists of a sugar free applesauce, jello cup, sugar free pudding, sugar free popsicle. I like this approach because it satisfies the urge for a sweet to end dinner, but doesn’t blow my calories or carbs. Right now this works for me and keeps me from feeling too deprived. Not protein rich at all, but satisfies the sweet tooth and are very portable.

If they say anything.. you should just say: "You are eating ALL OF THAT?! Wow, good for you! that lot's of unhealthy calories!"

Hey! I'm scheduled for surgery (gastric bypass) in February. I've been relying on protein shakes and some ketogenic friendly sweeteners as meal replacements to get use to drinking my calories instead of eating them. I wanna know if you've tried any of these ingredients post op and how they made you feel: - Vanilla premier protein - unsweetened cocoa powder - Swerve sugar replacement - blended strawberry, blackberries and blueberries (no added sugar) -Isopure unflavored powder -unsweetened almond milk -black beans (not in smoothies, just in general, mashed) Thanks! Happy New Year to you all Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

I would recommend going to your library and checking out a nutrition TEXTBOOK. Not some diet book, but a textbook on nutrition, and one that is recent. I did this years ago. It not only explains what you need in terms of macros, but also why. There is no firm answer as to how many grams of protein, carbs, fats, sugars because there are so many different schools of thought. If there is flour in the cauliflower pasta, it's essentially just pasta. I made this mistake with cauliflower crust pizza. I thought it would be low carb, but it's mostly flours (rice flour is still just flour) and it wasn't low carb at all. Look at the ingredient list for words like flour, rice syrup, cane sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, etc. These are not good, but you won't be able to avoid them completely, so make sure they are towards the end of the ingredients list - by law, ingredients must be listed in order of most to least, so if the first, second, or third ingredient is one of the ones listed (these are not the only ones) then it probably is high in refined sugar or flour. You can't completely avoid carbs, but try to eat whole grains like quinoa, wild or brown rice, farro, steel cut oats... Here is a general rule of thumb: the more "processed" a grain or food is, the more calories your body can absorb from it. For examples, if you eat 100 calories of corn meal, you will be getting more calories than if you ate 100 calories of corn on the cob, because it's easier for your body to digest the calories in corn meal (this is a particularly gross example, but your poo will contain some undigested corn if you eat corn on the cob but you will not see this with corn meal). I personally have read a lot of clinical studies on artificial sweeteners, and have talked to my doctor and nutritionist about this. There is no issue with artificial sweeteners. Those studies where they say people gained weight due to artificial sweeteners were not very good studies (I have a degree is research methodology, so this is my field of study). Some people get digestive or other issues from certain artificial sweeteners, but if you're not one of them, I say enjoy! The protein drinks have artificial sweeteners. Are you eating a P3 pack for lunch because you don't have room for anything else? Or is just because it's easy? Try to have some non-starchy vegetables (ie, not potato or corn) with your meals, or some fresh or frozen fruit. The P3s are pretty processed so they may pass through quickly (I eat them too, as snacks while traveling). Try switching that for tuna fish (no bread) or rotisserie chicken etc. Refried beans with cheese also provides good levels of fiber (important for a lot of reasons), some protein, and slow-digesting carbs. Sorry, this has turned into a book!

I am eating around 1000-1200 calories and aim for 80 grams of protein (I am 169 pounds so that’s almost right at 1 gram per 2 pounds coincidentally MiniGastricBypassDude) I do not know my lean body mass Vikingbeast but will have to look into that and see what that calculates out to and ask my team which numbers they want me to go by) I only drink one shake in the morning because it’s convenient and I like the taste and the caffeine boost (caffe latte by premiere protein) and I usually have a Turkey and cheese lunchable for lunch or a P3 pack. My weight loss had been steady and my protein has been fine on the two labs so far so I think my calories and protein are fine for the phase I am in. I just want to better understand WHAT I am getting my calories from. Like I did not know, Arabesque, the recommended sugar amounts for women is 25 of added sugar. I don’t know the recommendation for fat or carbs either. GradyCat, my team does not offer free visits but I wouldn’t mind paying if I felt that I would get the answers I am looking for. I just did not feel like the lady they sent me to answered my questions. I assume she knows what she is talking about, she just makes it sooooo technical and talks over my head on this topic. I need to understand the basics first. SleeverSk, I have the Baritastic app and I used that for a while but I am a creature of habit and have the same handful of meals so for the most part I know the calories and that was all I was looking at. I may have to start using it again now that I am looking at that other stuff. I just need guidelines for me for each of those numbers. Not necessarily for weight loss cause I am losing without paying too much attention to them (just eating reasonably healthy foods) but to make sure I am not eating junk. What started all of this was a chat about cauliflower pasta when I realized that I do not really know for sure whether it is a good (at least better than the real deal) or a great option. There are some flours listed in the ingredients that I need to do some research on to see if they are nutritious or if it’s just pasta disguised as cauliflower. But to start I just want to know for example how much fat is recommended for me per day and how many carbs. Like your peanut butter, Arabesque, that was something bad disguised as good I do not want to fall into those traps so I need to get educated about all this.

Is it head hunger? Boredom? Stress? What are your daily macros in terms of calorie intake and water intake?

I was told 0.7 to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of /lean body mass/ - not weight. Which presumes you know your LBM (I do)—you can get a test to figure this out, or use a machine and get a guesstimate of your body fat percentage, and then do math. I am three and a half months out and am eating 1500-1600 calories a day—140 g of protein, 50 g of fat, and 120-150 g of carbohydrates depending on my need for physical exertion for the day. "The scale eats first," which means I weigh and portion everything and track it before I put it in my mouth (this is easier when you portion out a couple or three days' worth of food at a time to reheat).

Me too. 😂😂😂 Started strong but then let some of my food choices slip (dessert), a glass of champagne most nights & a bit more snacking & there was almost a kg more than I like on my scales. Well I deserved that I thought. Time to get back on track. But a night of excessive peeing & like you a good poop & it was almost totally gone as well. Obviously, besides the calorie increase, the Christmas cheer stuffed up my natural voiding habits a bit. Glad the (socially distanced Covid safe) celebrating & socialising has finally stopped & I’m home & back to my routines.

See if you can get back in to your dietician & with their guidance develop an eating plan that is sustainable in the long term. It’s best to design a way of eating that works for you & not for someone else. You’re physiologically & psychologically different to everyone else. You may find you don’t follow a specific ‘diet’ but pick & choose across a few eating styles. Like low carb but not low fat or incorporate some vegan or vegetarian meals each week. In the meantime, & as a starting point, keep in mind the recommended daily amounts for the ‘average’ person who’s maintaining like 6 teaspoons or 25g added sugar per day for women. You will need to consume less if you still want to lose. Take into account your plan, lifestyle & personal needs. How many calories are you eating a day? It seems like it could be low if you’re still on shakes. It’s not sustainable to be still having shakes for breakfast & most lunches. You need to be eating real food, especially as you seem to be almost at your goal weight, to get the nutrients your body needs. I stopped taking multivitamins from maintenance because I got all I needed from the food I ate. I was so happy not to have to take them or buy them! I don’t buy a lot of prepared foods, sauces, condiments, etc. simply so I can control the ingredients & how they’re prepared/cooked. If I do, I study the nutrition panel & look for low processed foods, low sugar content, low fat content, multi & whole grains, no or low artificial sweeteners, Watch the ‘front of the jar’ labelling though. No added sugar usually means they’ve used artificial sweeteners or sugar alternatives or they’ve upped the fat. I bought a 25% less fat ‘lite’ peanut paste. It actually had 50% more carbs, 20% more sugar & only 16 calories less per serve.

5’2” female. At the 6 month mark, I was at 97 lbs lost. But this includes ~12 lbs lost during my 2 week pre-op diet, so really it was more like 85 lbs lost in the first 6 months immediately after surgery. FYI, during weight loss phase i went with volume and calories measures way to monitor intake (cuz there is a huge diff between 1oz of steak and 1oz of salad or 1oz of almonds in terms of “eat-ability” AND calories) With that said, at my 6 month mark, I was averaging about 700-ish calories a day, with each “meal” coming up to no more than 1 cup in volume (if I remember correctly). I use the term “meal” loosely as I was (and sorta still am) a grazer. But I’ve read enough on here to learn that my experience differs from many (and is similar to some). I have also learned that while everyone loses at their own pace and implements their own strategies, we all end up in the same place eventually so long as we stick with our plan and make adjustments as necessary. Good Luck! ❤️ P.S. I am 3+ years out now and have maintained below goal weight the entire time. I average about 1800 cals a day with moderate exercise. …. Though, full disclosure, I was 2lbs outside my “happy weight range” a couple days ago, which has since been lost (a couple good poops did it, I think, lol…that and I cut down on the copious amounts of Xmas chocolates I’ve been porking on). This morning I was 119 lbs even, but I feel better when I’m closer to the lower end of my happy weight range so am gonna shoot for 115 and see if I can get back down there without too much discomfort, ha!….we shall see.

I will have to look at that brand. I do like using the frozen crusts though cause I can make it my way. I like white pizza (which uses ricotta instead of red sauce) with chicken (and veggies) which both add protein. Like you I know that a grilled chicken breast is a better option but I like to have a slice of pizza on game day. So far my protein has been great on my labs and I figure in the calories for the day but I look at it that if this is a lifestyle change and not a diet I gotta have something. Quick tip if you waste a lot of pizza. If you cut it when you get home from the store and then put back in freezer you can cook a smaller portion. I cut mine into slices and cook one at a time. If you cook it directly on the rack just put a sheet pan on rack below cause some toppings may spill on occasion.

EASY VERSION: As a general rule, as long you get your proteins and keep track of your calories, you're fine. In simple terms, aim for 1 gram of protein per 2 lb / 1 kg you weigh. If you're a 200 lb dude, you're going to want 100g of protein. And so on. Find your calorie sweet spot depending on where you are on your journey. No, nobody has a sweet spot of 400, and almost nobody at 4,000. Somewhere in between. INTERMEDIATE VERSION: There's no doubt super quick sugars are not the best idea, but the idea that carbs are the enemy is utterly ridiculous. Remember all the people you know on keto who've been on keto for 20 years? Yeah, neither do I. Because they never exist. It's not a natural way to eat (no, really). Bottom line: if you're not doing ultra-low carbs, you don't need to worry. I've lost 169 lbs without thinking one time about carbs. I do tend to make conscious choices about how much super quick sugar I want. Americans, check your bread. The sugar factory dropped 6x as much in there as we get in Europe (yes, literally).

I know that we Mostly all had to see a nutritionist or dietician of some sort pre surgery at least once but I’m guessing we have all received varying levels of education about labels. I know that my appointment they just went over the post op diets early stages nothing after real food and nothing about calories, carbs, sugars, etc. i was just thinking I may not be the only one feeling sorta lost in this new world of trying to read labels to make better choices and thought maybe a thread to ask questions related to this might be beneficial to others as well. I am almost 9 months post op and I still have a shake for breakfast and lunchable or P3 for lunch almost every day to keep calories low so I can have a couple low calorie snacks and a sensible dinner. I only pay close attention to the calories now but I glance at the percentages of carbs And sugars and just make sure they are not super high. I know I have a lot to learn about labels. Any advice would be appreciated. Was anyone given specific numbers to not exceed daily? And anyone else with questions I don’t know to ask please jump in. I’m sure we can all learn something helpful.

Well it does list corn, rice and lentil “flours” but it says it’s gluten free?? I’m sure someone on here could say whether it’s a good or a great option. It’s not a great source of protein so I'm sure I won’t have it that often but when craving pasta I figure it’s gotta be better than the real deal. Which cauliflower crust did you decide is best? Do you get just the crust or the whole pizza?? I have one that I have been using but other than calories I never really looked at it either. I just looked and it’s the same brand as that pasta.

My goodness, who told you to punish yourself this much, dear? Is this something you can do for the rest of your life? If not, then maybe see what would be sustainable long-run? There's definitely some muscle (and water retention to build that muscle) happening with this schedule, but seriously, your body may be holding on to everything it has due to the sudden shock? How about taking two-three rest days, getting 1000-1200 calories at least including 60-80g protein, and see what happens? Give yourself some time to catch up?

Some information is required to help with suggestions.... How many calories a day are you consuming and what does a typical day's menu look like? What exercise do you do, for how long, how often?

This was also my experience this year! My weight loss actually ramped up between Thanksgiving and New Years - I lost 16 lbs in that time, when my previous two months were half that amount. It has been nuts. I tracked as much as I could (and I was averaging more calories than I had been previously, per my nutritionist's advice) but there were the inevitable days where I couldn't track because I wasn't the one preparing food. But, I tried to be somewhat smart about things and not go too off the rails. I enjoyed the holidays food wise, but I didn't come out of them with the usual guilt and regret. I'm enjoying the feeling.

I'm sorry you're going through all of this. Life sucks. I can tell you one thing for sure: the solution you're looking for will not be found in a diet book. It will not be found in a thought process that involves yelling at yourself to try harder! You know what to eat. You know how to count calories and protein. You know how to chew. You've done it all before. What you don't know, however, is how to emerge from a crisis. I strongly, strongly recommend immediately looking at this statement .... ... and bringing that exact statement to someone who can help you talk it through. Group sessions work, too. If you want something you can do now, here's how you deal with emotional eating in a professional/disordered eating setting: FIRST: Get the physical hunger and eating patterns sorted out. Start eating 6 times a day. When you wake up, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. Same time every day is recommended. Grab a notebook. On the left side, you write what time you ate, and what you ate. On the right side, you write - once a day, several times if need be - how you felt today. It doesn't have to be connected to the eating. The goal for you is not to lose weight right now, it's to understand your emotional eating which you already identified is what led you off track. There's no skipping this step. All you have to do here is the above. Don't gain, don't lose, just get an overview and start writing. SECOND ORDER OF BUSINESS: Habits Once you've gotten this under control and you're starting to see patterns, you can look at your habits. "Ah, so when the kids act up, I actually tend to grab sweet snacks. Hmm. Can I pause for a second and feel that emotion, see if I'm still hungry?" FINALLY: Emotions and a clear mind And now you're ready to actually deal with all the things that caused you to be in this crisis. You can't work on all things at once, and if the regain is the most upsetting, then follow these steps. Hopefully, you don't have to do step 1 and 2 alone, but if you have and you feel you're in a better place, now's the time for therapy and this is also where you can start exploring losing weight. I hope this helps. I'm happy to elaborate.

Here is a sweet tooth substitute for you that you can eat fairly guilt-free and will be reasonably full afterwards. Take a Premier Protein premade 30g shake (any flavor). Pour it into a mixing bowl. Add in a 1.4 oz packet of sugar free instant pudding (any flavor that will mix well with the protein shake flavor). Whisk vigorously for 1-2 mins. You can either eat it right there with a spoon (it will be the consistency of cake batter) or let it set in the fridge. It will taste sweet and has the following nutritional counts: 280 calories 8 g net carbs 31g protein 3 g fat

Thank you so much!😊 I don't have a therapist currently but I am almost positive I have ADD so next month at my annual I plan on discussing ideas/meds/therapy referral for it. It has made doing online school difficult at times, well a lot. And honestly the job I have (vet receptionist) requires so much focus and multi-tasking WELL I think takes all ability to do the same amount of focus later the same day on schoolwork. I could find a therapist without my PCP doing a referral but the therapist I found is in the same network as my PCP (Baylor Scott & White) and she specializes in several things including bariatrics so I figured I'd wait a few months to get a referral from my PCP...I called to get in sooner but my PCP was booked until March and my appointment was in early February so I was like I'll just wait thanks...🙃 Agree on the snacks thing although does eating my allotted food for breakfast/lunch etc over the course of my day count as snacking if it isn't extra stuff? And yes, I agree with the "low sugar" etc snacks open up the wormhole. I just signed up for the monthly BariatricPal box so I am hoping I will discover new snacks and foods that are specifically for us I can add into my rotations---I think a lot of my snacks while normal aren't really 'normal' for me anymore--I bought myself some almonds but struggle with the idea of spending 180 of my calories on like 6 grams of protein--I do love the Greek yogurt at 120 calories and anywhere from 12-20 grams of protein! I can't avoid the break area, I work at a vet clinic and it is not so strategically located right by the doctor's office where I am in and out all day to talk to my doctors about cases. And our break area is a sink, counter with microwave and snacks piled on top of it. 😑 I need to work on my will power and I am glad to see the holidays to be on their way out! I have found with me, cold turkey is the best way to nix cravings. I don't get to be one of those people who can have "just one piece" here and there because that one piece on day 1 becomes me constantly snacking and seeking out sugar on day 5 or 6....it snowballs. I am debating going back for a week or two to the preop diet I had which was 2-3 protein shakes with a sensible dinner of lean meat and a vegetable and maybe I'll add in a fruit depending on how that goes to get me back on track. Stupid brain liking stupid garbage sugar. 😤

Howdy y'all! Happy 2022! So it did it end up being a solid 6+ months for me to get myself back on here. The thought even crossed my mind to do a 1 year exactly post and then I got distracted and here I am like 3ish weeks late. Whatever, I digress. So 12 months have passed and with it I have shed 116lbs(that was the total about a month ago at the 1 year surgeon's check up). He is very happy with my progress however I know I can do better. Remember how I said 6 months ago sugar was an issue? Yeah, still is. More so since I got covid back in August and lost my taste/smell--it's back mostly but it has changed flavors and most of it isn't for the better. I can't stomach tomato based foods, I can't explain what it tastes/smells like but it is not good. Cooking garlic makes me gag but I can eat it okay which makes zero sense to me and then of course sugar based foods (especially candy) is almost normal-I suspect is why I have continued to gravitate to it so hard these last few months. Anyway, I decided tonight after posting in the forums for some help and some tough love/encouragement that I would sign myself up for the box of the month from the BariatricPal store--let me try lots of high protein/lower calorie snacks/foods without just blindly spending money on products that are nasty. Figure I'll try it out for a few months and see what it yields, I need to add in some new products to my repertoire. My water intake is back to around 100+oz a day most days. I made it a HUGE priority when the plasma center opened up in my town since my dog is looking to meet at least another two of the specialty departments at the local specialty vet in the next 6 weeks. I take a insulated mug with a straw, fill with ice cubes and I have a 50oz water bottle I fill and put in flavoring (my taste buds settled on the more 'tart' flavors like strawberry lemonade/cherry etc) and make it a point to drink at least 2 of the water bottles a day. I have had zero issues donating both with hydration and iron(hematocrit) numbers. Iron is always on the forefront of my mind since I went into this surgery already on once daily iron tablets due to low grade anemia I got from my mom and she got from her mom. I had tested at 38 which is the absolute lowest you can be at and still donate the first 3 times but today after I had upped my iron tablets to 2 a day as well as my normal 2 Flintstones the last 10-14 days I tested at 44 today! I obviously don't want it skyrocketing since you can actually have it to high so I will go to every other day 2 tablets and see if I can hold my iron steady in the low to mid 40s. I have ZERO regrets from this surgery and look forward to FLYING to see my dad over Father's day weekend, my goal is to be at or below my surgeon's goal for me (193lbs)-still sitting at 225lbs so not an overwhelming amount of weight to lose in 6ish months. I did buy myself a solidly decent treadmill that I have started using several times a week-I enjoy my 'treadmill shows' like The Witcher or Game of Thrones- shows I really enjoy but can only watch if I am up on the treadmill-gives me motivation to lace up the sneakers and go for a power walk. That said, I do plan on finding a chiropractor to do a consult with because my hips and back aches after only a few minutes of going at a solid pace, I assume it's from everything shifting and hope I can get adjusted and/or get some stretching exercises I can do to help get things aligned and make moving much more comfortable than it is currently. I am still in school but maybe just maybe work seems to finally have eased some and we have a new CSR starting in mid-January so I don't feel so exhausted and overwhelmed as I did 6ish months ago. I finally feel like I have the time to get things I want and need to get done, done. My ADD still makes focusing hard sometimes but my annual physical is in February and I plan on discussing ideas/strategies with my PCP. My goal right now is to buy myself a 6-18 month planner that will help me keep track of schoolwork deadlines I want to make for myself, work scheduling, personal/off time to make sure I don't waste my days off wandering around going "I know there is stuff I need to do but I don't remember what it was" or alternatively doing things like starting to clean out my closet-doing that for 4 hours then getting distracted by something else or ending up napping when the cat comes and lays next to me while I am looking through boxes(that's happened more than I'd like to admit). Anyway, moving along. Long story short here, I am very happy with my progress but know I have a lot left to learn and more weight to lose. I think when I hit Onederland and I have the funds, I will seek out beginner Krav Maga classes for fitness but also I haven't been below 200lbs as an adult and self-defense is something I've always assumed my weight would help with and now I won't have it. Maybe a solid firearm handling class and getting my concealed carry license as well. That's all I've got at this point, can't wait to see where I am and what thoughts I have in a few months! Keep on trucking everyone, we've got this!! -Amanda

I’m going to jump right in & focus on your inner child sugar & snack craving & ask if you saw or still see a therapist? If not it may be worth asking your medical team for a recommendation to a one who specialises in supporting bariatric patients, disordered eating, etc. The battle to overpower those cravings will only be won when you deal with that inner child. At the moment that child is winning. Are you eating because you are truely hungry (because your body needs the calories to function) or is it just your inner child wanting to be satisfied & comforted? Honestly, I didn’t specifically crave sugar or salt - I was an equal opportunity treat eater: sweet & savoury. 😉 I got them out of my house. If I don’t buy those foods & don’t have them in my house, I can’t eat them. I know it can be hard when it’s in the work place but try to avoid the break area. Go outside to eat if possible. I also try to prep most of what I eat myself so I can control the ingredients & how it’s cooked. While I was losing I ate pretty simply & a lot on repeat. It wasn’t boring. I actually found it less pressure because I didn’t have to think about what I was going to cook or eat. I had one snack a day: cheese, yoghurt (tub or drink), chunk of cucumber or fruit. Once you have those meals & food snacks in your app you can just select them each day. You don’t have to recreate them every time. So a little hard work to begin. Go back to only eating three times a day & no snacks or only one a day. It won’t be easy. Snacks add the calories which will slow your weight loss a lot. If the child screams at you, sip water, have a cup of herbal or green tea, eat a little chicken, ham, or other deli meat, have some yoghurt, or a little piece of cheese as your snack - note they are all protein dominant. Watch the fruit because of the high sugar content (though natural) so be selective - berries are best. Try to avoid traditional style snacks even if they’re high protein, low fat or low sugar versions - they keep the snack habit & craving alive. Try to avoid artificial sweeteners for the same reason - they continue to feed your sugar craving. You can explore them when you’re maintaining. You don’t have to jump in with both feet & go cold turkey. Even making one change to what & how you eat at a time helps. Drop something this week. In a week or two swap something else out. Little changes are easy to accept & are little wins. Just some suggestions. Feel free to ignore them all. Congrats on your weight loss so far.