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Your able to eat mashed potatoes and chilling over the clear liquidate? Just wondering is rhe Chilli with beans, tomatoes etc? Thanks! I am on full liquids and not able to eat more than 2ounces per meal 3 times a day and it's only yogurt, pudding, cream soups but nothing with chunks or mashed consistency. Trying to get some ideas for when I go to pureed next Thursday. Its been a long 17 days on clear/full liquids(including preop diet). Thanks

I hate to cook too and still struggle to get as much water in as they want. I do get the minimum 48oz/day but don't always make the 64oz they want. I was so glad to stop eating cottage cheese and yogurt! I scoured the grocery isles for food that looked good and was easy to make (Or better, didn't require making). I have to admit I got a little bit of attitude about my diet when I was ALMOST, but not quite, meeting their calorie and water goals, telling them that I was struggling, and they scolded me and raised my goals. I have a spreadsheet that calculates calories and protein from every food I get with a nutrition label and buy low fat, low sugar foods so the calorie and protein count meets my goal. I got a frown from my nutritionist when I told her I eat ham every day, but I gave her a "look" and told her my calorie and protein goals were being met and she refrained from scolding me. I buy Kentucky Legend Bonless Quarter Sliced Ham because it doesn't have lunchmeat texture and I can just weigh out my portion and eat it cold. I got another frown when I told them I eat beef jerky, but reminded them that 100g of protein is hard to do, jerkey is low calorie and high protein, and I chew it VERY well and spit out gristle. If they have to cut a ball of gristle out of my stomach, then I'll stop eating beef. I switched nuts for peanut butter toast when I started getting hungrier. I eat a lowfat sharp cheddar with crackers. Quaker makes a protein Banana Nut Instant Oatmeal. I also eat 1/2 Atkins Chicken Margherita or Healthy Choice Simply Steamers Grilled Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo (1/2 is less than my 6 oz, but it's easier to just take half and eat the other half the next day and the math is easier too). Those 2 were the best my WalMart carries for frozen food Calorie/Protein ratio that I also liked. For an added vegetable I eat 2oz canned french style green beans with 1/2 oz Velveta low fat cheese heated in the microwave. Tyson makes a fajita chicken that microwaves well if you put a dollop of water on the plate. Turkey bacon doesn't really satisfy my bacon cravings, but turkey sausage is really good. If I'm craving sweets I'll eat a Quaker Caramel Rice Cake or a few dark chocolate chips. Luckily I crave salt, not sweets, and the salt cravings have almost gone away. If I'm going to be away from home for a few hours I pack an insulated lunch bag with a serving of ham, cheese and crackers, and jerkey to take with me. If I'm going to be gone for a day or longer I pack my food in bags and a cooler. I got married a little more than 3 months after my surgery and ate what I wanted at my wedding and during the honeymoon, I just kept the servings really small and took protein with me to make sure I still got enough protein and because I needed to eat more than 3 times a day. After that, I allowed myself one meal out each week, eating my 6oz and taking the rest home. Hubby ate most of the leftovers. After I reworked my diet to include tastier, real food, I switched my protein powder to a Collagen with the added missing amino acid. It mixes best with warm or hot liquids and was approved by my nutritionist. I still use 2 scoops a day, 1 with my protein oatmeal and 1 with my sugar free hot apple cider. I met my goal weight at 7 months, just in time for a Halloween party, and I allow myself a small cheat almost every day (my nutritionist told me to add 100-200 cal per day to stop losing weight and i decided to add a tasty snack rather than rework my diet). I watch my weight to make sure I'm not overdoing it. If I eat out, that's my cheat and it replaces a meal. I order what I want and ask for a container BEFORE the food is served so I can pack away all but 6oz before I start to eat. Some cheats aren't really cheats. I've added in apples, pineapple, strawberries and mango. Breyers Carb Smart Fudge Bars have 50 calories, 3g fat, 2g sugar (0 added), and 1g protein. It's only a cheat because of the low protein/cal ratio. Pure Protein bars could be a meal substitute instead of a cheat and have 180-200 cal, 3-4.5g fat, 2-3g sugar, and 19g protein. I like the Chocolate Salted Caramel that's a little chewy and the Chocolate Mint cookie, which has more of a grainy (cookie) texture but tastes really good. At a party, I may eat a bag of chips (~150cal), or I may give in and eat a single Reese's cup (105 cal). OK, maybe a bag of chips AND a single Reese's cup, I'm weak. Dot's Seasoned Pretzels have 130cal per oz. An entire bag of buttered flavored popcorn has 150cal (DO NOT LICK THE BAG). It's nice to eat something tasty and not worry about if it has enough protein. I just had my 9 month bloodwork done, it's all fine.

I bought a cookbook that has smoothie recipes for full liquid stage. So I use the yogurt and milk and protein powder with the other stuff to make protein shakes. I am hoping they taste good 😂 I am going to make a few this weekend and put in the freezer so they are already for me post op.

Great to hear! Just a theory, but I think there's just enough people that flat out defy the pre-op diet completely that they just give a super strict diet plan to allow for some deviation, while still preparing the liver for surgery. I went off mine a little by including non-fat greek yogurt, but it got me through the shakes during the pre-op diet.

I eat for a snack: They're made with whey protein, baked and have 18-20 grams protein (depending on flavor), low carb and a few spices. Great if you need a crunch and they have several flavors. I also use them for taco salad; ground turkey with taco seasoning, avocado ,Greek yogurt (for sour cream taste), skim cheddar cheese and lettuce and G Huges chili Thai sugar free low carb or no sugar salsa - delicious!

Hello, My name is Alex and I am scheduled for the gastric sleeve procedure on 12/18/23. Growing up I never had a problem with my weight; as a matter of fact I was very thin. Due to changes in life and past trauma, I used food as a coping mechanism. I ballooned from 160 pounds at 18 years old to 475 pounds by the time I turned 31. I was "content" being overweight because I refused to deal with it. At the behest of my wife, I begrudgingly scheduled an appointment to be seen by a primary care physician for the first time in years at the height of the pandemic. At this appointment, I weighed in at 475 pounds and was diagnosed with high blood pressure... extremely high blood pressure. This made total sense as I couldn't walk very far without being out of breath, I couldn't go up steps without sweating and having my heart pounding, and I couldn't play with my nieces and nephews. I was prescribed blood pressure meds at 31 years old and told that if I didn't make significant changes and lose weight, I was staring down an early death. That was the kick in the ass I needed. I immediately got a gym membership, downloaded a calorie tracker, immediately made improvements in my diet and dove in head first. Over the course of the next year and a half I lost nearly 100 pounds through diet and exercise alone. I knew that to get to my goal weight though, that I needed more tools.... or a more powerful one. So I was seen by a bariatric provider and over the course of many months was approved for sleeve gastrectomy and was scheduled for surgery. I am currently on the liquid diet and I am struggling. I am dying for flavor... the protein shakes, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, and jello that have been my diet for the last three days are not cutting it. I've made a few mistakes... a piece of cheese here or a nibble of chicken there. I am striving for today being a good day.. but it has been hard. I am constantly cold, I'm less tolerant of daily B.S. than I normally am, and am just now starting to not feel as irritable as I have the last few days. I am looking forward to having this procedure done, but I am nervous that I won't lose enough. I'm nervous that I'll ruin it or some other nonsense I keep telling myself. After being overweight for so long its hard to imagine not being as large as I am. I am looking forward to a healthier life, the ability to play with my nieces, nephews and daughter, and being in more control of my life. Thank you for reading this very long post and I look forward to chatting with you on this journey!

I was always ready for the next phase after the monotony, though I was discharged from the hospital on the pureed stage. I did not have any liquid only phase post-op. I was on yogurt, ricotta (ricotta bake was a lifesaver), pureed soups. The shakes were hard to get down. I couldn't manage 2 a day. Protein water was a good option to change up the flavor and not just the creamy stuff. Half applesauce and half greek yogurt was a decent changeup. When I was first cleared for eggs, I couldn't stomach one scrambled egg. I found the soft boiled egg far easier to tolerate. I don't typically have protein shakes now, but I do still like them as my base for coffee every now and again.

I had mine on November 20. My surgeon had me go from clear liquids to protein shakes and broth on the 3rd day after, as long as I could tolerate it without getting sick, but had me hold off on non-clear soups or other creamy drinks until today. I've been able to keep down plain greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and egg drop soup since Saturday, and part of a scrambled egg today, even though I jumped the gun a little on that. I'm still waiting a couple more days before attempting softened meats. Definitely stick to what your surgeon/doctor says, and take it really slowly when introducing something new. If you have a bad reaction, wait 2-3 days before attempting it again. They warned me beef can be harder to tolerate at first compared to something like canned/pureed tuna or chicken, and may require a couple more weeks.

Stick to the Protein Shakes and soups as much as you can. Try different brands, because I will say the Fairlife ones tasted way better than muscle milk, and were different enough from Premier Protein that felt like I wasn't drinking the same old shake every time. Peanut Butter is relatively carb heavy, and if you're doing the pre-op diet to shrink your liver, it will offset it. I did cheat a little bit with Fage brand nonfat, unflavored greek yogurt since it was only 5g of carbs, around 17g of protein, and more of a savory meal item than a sweet one. It didn't offset my liver prep progress. I will say the pre-op diet was harder for me than the post-op, so look forward to that.

Being on solid foods for 3 weeks tracks relatively closely to what my plan will be. My hospital only does a 2 day pre-op liquid diet, and then you are on liquid/soft dairy (yogurt, pudding) for about 10 days. They generally do the surgeries on a Monday and you go to a class the following Thursday, although I will have mine on a Wednesday, and I think I will still go to the Thursday class, so it's only just over a week for me. After the class, we're advanced to stage 4 for about 4 weeks, which includes soft/moist meats like chicken thigh, fish, and eggs, along with soft cooked veg and fruits. The only thing that doesn't match up with my plan is the cucumbers because raw veg isn't allowed until stage 5, which is at roughly 6 weeks post-op. But frankly, cucumber is almost all water once you chew it, so the volume is minimal despite looking large. My program doesn't bother with purees. We're just told to chew thoroughly. As others have said, you may not feel full this early because of nerves not being fully healed, so just watch your portions. If you've lost 25lbs in 4 weeks, I hardly would call that doomed! I would double check with your nutritionist about portions, make sure you chew thoroughly, and keep making healthy food choices like you're doing. You may just not have as much swelling as some do, which would explain the ability to eat closer to a normal post-surgery capacity right away. Just because you can eat a couple of eggs doesn't mean you'll soon be able to eat a 24oz steak and sides!

Still hurting. Actually looking forward to surgery on Wednesday. Also upset because I'm probably going to miss ALL of next week. Plus the 2 days I missed last week and I will only have 3 paid days on my check on the 15th. Not only do I have bills to pay, that was supposed to cover Christmas. And not just the gifts, but the decorations, the dinner, cards, all of it. Now we'll have literally nothing. And the pain meds don't do anything but knock me out. Once I wake up, I'm in pain again. Time to take my meds and pass out. I'm so over it all.... Oh, before I forget!!! Let's not leave out that I'm basically back on my stage 1 bariatric diet because when I try to eat regular food, it KILLS my hernia (it's a delayed reaction, so I'm guessing it's happening as it makes its way down my colon, or to my bowels, or wherever it goes). That was ok yesterday, but today....nope. But TODAY!!! Oh TODAY has been a joy because now even liquids and YOGURT and Jello hurt. And I have had absolutely ZERO appetite since yesterday around lunch time. I can't just not eat, but I have no hunger feelings, and when I remember to eat, I don't want to because it hurts so much. I don't know what else to do, but I feel like I'm losing it over here. I'm so so over all of this. I've never had a hernia before. Is this normal? Because I feel like I'm about to lose my mind. I walk hunched over, trying to roll over in my sleep causes me to cry out and wake up my husband, and don't get me started on coughing or sneezing or pooing. The early stages of both my bariatric surgeries COMBINED didn't make me this miserable.

If I am struggling to get in my protein, I have a protein pudding/ yogurt. They really make my poop like concrete. One of these and my internal system is like a traffic jam. I am not sure if its the artificial sugar or the protein in them that causes this

Well I had my gastric bypass on the 29th and I got home yesterday. The first day and a half was rough, painful and I was full of doubts. Now that I am home I am good. I am keeping water, jello and protein Gatorade down. I am going to try some broth and yogurt today. Now trying to figure out this Christmas stuff for 3 boys.

Totally understandable, and 6 weeks of liquids is a long time to plan for. I only have 2 days of liquids pre-op and 2 weeks post-op. Are you allowed soft dairy during that time? I can have yogurt, ricotta, and sugar free pudding, plus strained cream soups. Although I don't like creamed soups, so not sure I'll bother with that option. But I know what you mean about salt in the pre-made broth. If I had room in my freezer, I would make a bunch of it. Just remember, almost everything you need can be purchased locally after surgery. You really only need a few days' worth. And if you have a nutritionist in your program, you can probably get some samples, too. Honestly, I think I've bought as many things as I have (and probably won't need) because I've had my date since early October and buying protein shakes and vitamins has been a way to ease my impatience while I wait!

I woke up in recovery hungry, genuinely hungry. I would have eaten seafood if they'd offered it and I hate seafood. I'm one of that minority that didn't lose my hunger, in fact, I wasn't hungry before, it came back after surgery! Not fair! LOL I find hydration is important for controlling hunger. I had to have a stern talk with my body about how shakes are nourishment and head hunger was complicating the picture because I just wanted to chew on something. Sugar free popsicles helped. I was on liquids for 2 weeks post surgery, strict liquids, no cream of wheat or yogurt or pudding. I agree with Arabesque, distraction is your friend. As is drinking your shakes on a schedule and hydrating all throughout the day... I saved my popsicles for the evening, when I'm most used to eating a meal. Your doctor is mistaken if they assume being hydrated or having shakes takes care of hunger. It doesn't for everyone. Each body is different. Just remind yourself this is a finite period of time. Try warm broths to alternate between the cold, sweet shakes.

Hi all! I had my sleeve done on 11/21/2023! I am finding that no matter how many protein shakes I am having I am still hungry! I have tried yogurt, cream of wheat, protein shakes etc. My Dr. has me on liquids for the next 3 weeks and I am miserable! I was told today if I follow the plan, I shouldn't ever be truly hungry Any suggestions?! Edit: I am currently eating 75-100g of protein a day

A very friendly lady doctor once told me eat 10 different vegetables a day instead of the recommended 5. I put this in place by eating a homemade veg soup or a vegetable salad for lunch. This meal replacement was very low in calories and super filling. I could eat a thoughtful meal with my family in the evening and a low cal. snack later in the evening, like jelly and yogurt or the porridge I swopped it for at breakfast. Of course the weight didn't stay off but I did loose lots until I went on holiday and broke out and went back to my old ways. I didnt feel like I was on much of a diet because I love salad and veg

I was a vegetarian for 12 years before I gave it up, and then life and the vicious cycle of weight gain and weight loss began for me. You can 100 percent get your protein without meat substitutes (which tend to be full of carbs btw). Beans with rice is a great way to get protein. Nuts and seeds, whole grains like oatmeal, couscous, quinoa, cheese, yogurt, and protein powders made out of peas. Ripple is a pea milk that is pretty good and has 8g of protein, it is very comparable to regular milk. I believe Ripple has other products too like protein powders and coffee mixes. If 8th continent still exists, that was the best milk substitute, I had a vegan bodybuilder friend who drank it like it was going out of style, lol. Don't forget about tofu, tempeh, edamame, and lentils (Not my fav). Chickpeas (hummus), peanut butter, There are other vegetarian and vegan protein powder options as well. I would suggest getting a good vegetarian cookbook, look for one that focuses on protein sources.

I think you need to go back to your team. You need advice on real foods. You should not need protein supplements this far out. I had 6 meals a day at 1 year out too. Breakfast - 100 grams Greek yogurt with fruit - 10 grams protein Snack - 25 grams nuts - 5 grams protein Lunch - 100 grams prawns and small salad salad - 16 grams protein Snack - 25 grams Biltong - 13 grams protein Evening meal - tuna - 50 grams with mayo and on a slice of super seeded bread - 17 grams protein snack - Glass of milk or protein pudding I hope this helps a little, I could get in 60 - 80 grams of protein a day eat similar foods to this

Potatoes are rather thick and goopy and heavy, I can see how they'd cause issues. My stomach seems to be very picky about what it wants to tolerate. I got quite sick with ricotta and sauce, and refried beans with sour cream. But fresh mozzarella cheese is fine. 😂🙄 I wouldn't worry too much yet. Try some thinned yogurt or thinned pudding.

It was strict, technically more strict than they post op diet, but it's doable and mine was only for 2 weeks. My scans showed significant shrinkage compared to a month ago, so I guess it worked. They said it made the procedure much easier. Only about 45 minutes. Mine was 2 protein shakes per day, 4-6oz of lean meat or fish, and leafy green veggies. No starchy ones like potatoes, carrots, or rice. I could have all the pickles I want but unfortunately I don't like them lol. The first few days when I was struggling, I was able to add a serving of low/nonfat plain Greek yogurt to my dishes for something savory. I believe it's 17g of protein, very little fat, and single digit carbs.

I had to do liquids for 2 weeks post op my DS. And am now on purees for a week. You'll get food soon, hang in there!! Then you'll have to contend with your gut being mad at everything you eat. 😂 I swear my stomach thinks most food is a bad idea. I can eat yogurt, pureed eggs, and fish (my surgeon told me I could eat fish early). This is amusing because eggs and fish are not my favorite foods by any means, but since my tastebuds have changed post surgery they are actually palatable! Everything else I've tried has ended badly in the bathroom... I'm hoping it'll get better once I move to Soft Foods next week!

I have. I'm doing purees this week and apparently most of what I've tried my stomach doesn't like. Avocado? Tastes awful. Ricotta and tomato sauce? Too acidic, that was diarrhea for sure, and stomach pain. Refried beans? More diarrhea. LOL The only thing that seems to pass without objection is eggs, yogurt, and fish (my surgeon told me I could eat fish early). It seems this sort of trial and error is very common at this stage.

Thanks, everyone, for the fantastic recipes! I've been experimenting, and here's a game-changer I discovered: the "Berry Bliss Delight." Blend together 1 cup almond milk, a scoop of vanilla protein powder (I prefer GNC brand), a handful of mixed berries (frozen or fresh), and a dollop of Greek yogurt. It's a burst of flavor, packed with protein, and totally masks the usual supplement taste 🍓🥤💖 see my work info

I had my 2 week follow up with my surgeon yesterday! Incisions are healing well, tummy is doing better, he cleared me to move to purees and said if I wanted to I could even try fish or eggs prepared soft since they both are relatively soft on the digestive system, though some don't do well on eggs. I had yogurt yesterday and it went down well, so last night I had some tuna fish and it was fine too!! No more awful twisting pains, just a dull ache if I eat or drink too fast. I'm so thankful I took that two weeks on fluids, I wouldn't have done as well if it was only one week. I needed the extra week to heal and let some swelling go down. I officially have lost 15 lbs since surgery. That's 29 lbs since my highest weight! The last time I lost 30 lbs was 20 years ago. I'm so amazed. I'm not losing super fast but that's okay, I'm good with slow as long as it is steady... I had enough energy to go through the grocery store yesterday!! I haven't been able to do that in a few years. It was just 45 minutes of walking and standing but it is such an improvement. I'm really grateful for all this. So glad I had the surgery...