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I track everything on MyFitnessPal and have lots of MFP friends who do the same. My diary is open to friends. I suggest you get an MFP account, acquire friends who are post-wls, and peek in at their diaries to get ideas and inspiration. How much you eat, how often, calories, protein, etc. will vary a lot depending on what stage you are and what your doctor's guidelines are. When I was at your stage, my rules were: --no more than 800 calories per day --minimum 75 grams of protein per day --maximum 60 grams of carbs per day --3 meals per day, no more than 3 ounces of food per meal --no snacks other than calorie-free liquids and protein shakes --no grains, no sweets, no high-carb veggies such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, or corn (which is actually a grain anyway, not a veggie). Within those rules, I could play around as much as I wanted. Typically I had something like Greek yogurt + berries for breakfast, diced chicken breast with green veggies for lunch, tuna salad & a poached egg for dinner, + 2 protein shakes.

When we are first getting started, we tend to shoot for high Protein numbers daily. For most of us, we aim for 60-100+ grams, and there seems to be an attitude that more is better. As we reach normal weights, do our protein requirements go down? I would assume yes but I'm not sure. The reason I ask is because I am in a 5-week (so far) stall that coincides with finding a Protein shake I like and finally reaching protein numbers over 60. I've been getting 90-100, which I felt was awesome and was totally going to make my weight loss better. Instead, I have stalled. I wonder if it is because I'm getting way more protein than my body needs at this lower weight, and I would be better off aiming for 60 again and skipping the daily protein shake. Disclaimer, I am in my first real stall at 8.5 months and I'm not particularly stressed about it. I understand stalls and I'm not worried that I am stuck here forever.

I had my sleeve done on Sept 23, and the first week was a bit tough because I was having to learn how to sip slowly without getting in too much air and also because of the "sour stomach" or "acid reflux", which has been sort of managed with antacid pills (1 in the morning & 1 before bed) and I also carry Tums & Gas-X strips with me. On wk 2 I started on full liquids, and that has seem to have started with my upset stomach it seems like. I had a really bad episode at work last Wednesday, I had my vanilla Protein shake, and it felt like I had a ball stuck in my stomach/chest. I ended up throwing up for about 1hr off & on until I took some tums, and that finally calmed my stomach. But the throwing up has happen, Friday, Saturday night, & now today. I haven't had the vanilla shake since last Wed., so I decided to try it this morning......NOPE, not happening. I'm so frustrated at this point. I'm suppose to start soft foods this week, but I'm so afraid to try anything new. Has this happen to anybody else? I'm eating slow and only 4oz. I'm drinking my Water. This crap is getting old. As I type this my stomach is still upset. No more vanilla Protein Shake, that's for sure.

I'm right there with you! Sleeved 12/17 & I am tired too! I do get my protein & water, not so great with the exercise, but try to do 30 min 5x week. I think it's just our bodies adjusting to the low calories.

My nut says it's fine for whenever since I don't like plain water. I prefer Mio though. I also add Nectar brand protein flavors to water that way I get the water intake and protein all in one.

I'm glad you got your vent on and I hope you feel better. Get your protein and water. You're only hurting yourself by not pushing those two things. And your results? That's more than three pounds a week! Twelve pounds a month! It might be slower than you'd like, but that doesn't make you a slow loser. Did you do a pre-op diet? If you did, that loss gets counted in to your total loss. And even if you didn't, three pounds a week is nothing to sneeze at, especially if you can maintain that rate of loss. You might need more calories than some, and if you're skipping meals or not hitting goals you certainly need more than you're getting now. But regardless, if you're not pushing your protein and water, you're going to struggle. So focus on that first and relax about the weight. It will come off with time. ~Cheri

Girl #1 I'm the slowest loser ever!! #2 get up go shopping get that protein in and water.. Water when I don't push it I don't lose plain and simple

I found a place that has what they call bariatric shakes. They have 15 grams of Protein in them. You mix the powder with Water and it tastes like flavored water. It is tasty after all the milk shakes. They come in a variety of flavors. The place also has chicken noodle Soup (the noodles amount to about t tsp--but the soup also has 15 grams of protein for 8 ounces. I use that as one of my drinks for the day.. I found the place online after reading many of these posts. I can't remember the name of it off hand, it is at home, but if you check out www.wonderslim.com you may find it

Another alternative to shakes is isopure protein water. They're also fruit flavored and are very easy to drink. But they are big. Like 20 oz. my first few weeks post op I could only drink one a day. But it met my water and protein needs. You can find them at GNC and the Vitamin Shoppe. Good luck!

merry Christmas to you also. I will be with family so will be a struggle so I am taking protein shakes with me along with tuna foil pks. it should see me thro. enjoy

Pre-Op tomorrow, but I was hoping that I can get some suggestions for groceries before and after surgery. I just ordered my UNJury Protein Shake mix but I wanted to know what exactly I should have in my possession especially as I don't want to be walking into any grocery stores while on my liquid diet. I'd like to be as best prepared for this as well as possible. I thank you all for your suggestions. As stated above, I have pre-op tomorrow and I know they will give me a list but I just wanted to see what you all had to say or add to this list. I appreciate your input and suggestions!!!

It's so funny how one food is tolerated by one person and another couldn't eat it if offered a million bucks. I can't eat deli meats. I have tried as a quick protein lunch and it makes me slime so bad. but I can eat all pasta's and rice and bread without a problem.(DARN)! I do stay away from them because of my diabetes. I also really shouldn't have beef in my diet unless its in chili or something like that. I can eat lamb without problem. It just amazes me how different we all are when it comes to food.

I am seven months post op and just in the last 4 weeks I have finally been able to tolerate raw salad and all the veggies that go with it. Prior to that salad was not a good experience for me. Now I cannot get enough of it. I especially love to throw a scoop of cottage cheese on it for that extra Protein. Fruit I have been able to tolerate since the beginning. My nut had me eating raw fruit at 4 weeks out in very small amounts but peeled. I still cannot set an apple peel.

I know many pre-op patients have questions about the process. Each one of us is different but I thought I'd share my experience around the surgery and recovery in case it is beneficial to anyone preparing to undergo VSG. Based on my BMI, my doctor put me on a one-week pre-op liquid Protein diet. This consisted of three Protein shakes a day and otherwise Clear liquids. The first couple of days were tough, but by day 3-4 my system had gotten over its carb withdrawal and I tolerated the diet fairly well. I also used this time to wean off of caffeine since my surgeon didn't allow any for 8 weeks post surgery. During the pre-op diet phase I dropped 8 pounts, from 285 to 277. On my surgery day, I arrived at the hospital fairly early. The nursing staff prepared me (IV, gown, support stockings, etc.) and I met briefly with the surgeon and anesthesiologist. I was wheeled into the very cold operating room. Shortly thereafter I was given the IV anesthetic and was fast asleep. I woke up in the recovery area. This was easily the most uncomfortable part of the process as I was coming out of general anesthesia, hooked up to everything and now had a wonderful (not!) urine catheter placed. As I came out of the fog, I remember trying unsuccessfully to negotiate with the nurse to remove the catheter as it was very uncomfortable. After 20-30 minutes in this area I was moved to a wheelchair (a surprisingly challenging endeavor) and was wheeled to my room. Once in the room the PCA pump was attached. This helped greatly with my comfort level. I was also allowed to start sucking on ice chips. I did experience some gas pains but they were manageable. The nursing staff got me up to walk within a couple of hours. My particular facility was absolutely wonderful. It is a small satellite surgery facility of a large hospital and is in the same building as the surgical practice. I think most of the patients are part of the weight loss surgery program. On my particular surgery day I think my nurse had two patients, so I was able to get as much attention as I needed. One key item they were monitoring was my blood sugar which was running low. This was surprising as prior to surgery I was a Type-II diabetic with a normal glucose of 115-120. They gave me IV glucose a couple of times and were monitoring it closely. I progressively felt better throughout the day and evening and walked a few more times. There wasn't much sleeping as it seemed like every 10 minutes someone was in the room to do something. The day shift nurse had been bringing me ice chips in a small medicine cup. The night shift nurse brought a large cup of them with a spoon (what an angel!) By about 3am I was able to get myself out of bed and move to a nearby chair, managing all of the lines and connections carefully. I found that the more mobile I was the better I felt. At 5am I was told that we needed to begin preparing for my discharge. This involved giving me a glass of ice Water which I sipped on. It also involved removal of the catheter and the surgical drain, both of which were momentarily painful. I did feel better after that though. One more walk, a visit from the surgeon and his assistant, and I was discharged a little more than 24 hours after arrival. We stopped at the downstairs pharmacy for the liquid narcotic pain medication. At home, day 1 post-op involved mostly sleeping and relaxing. I had to sleep in a recliner for a couple of days to limit suture pain. I used the narcotic pain med a couple times that day. I began sipping and walking, encountering a little pain but nothing unbearable. By day 2 post-op I was feeling much better. On day 2 I stopped the narcotic pain meds and switched to liquid Tylenol. I had been told I could drive as soon as I was off the narcotics, so switching to liquid Tylenol meant I wasn't tied to the house. By that evening I felt well enough to drive myself to a meeting of an organization I'm involved with. Moving slowly but without much pain, it was nice to get out a little. I noticed I had real challenges with capacity of my new stomach for the first couple of days. It seemed like it would only hold a couple of sips or maybe a teaspoon of broth. On day 3 this got better, and by day 4 I was able to drink liquids and even broth and Soup without much restriction. I think this was the post-op swelling going down a little. My surgery was on a Tuesday and I came home Wednesday morning. My first venture out was Thursday evening. I returned to work the following Monday without any real issues but I have a fairly sedentary office job. I have to say that my recovery was quicker than I expected with relatively few issues and no complications. I know this isn't the rule for everyone. I think it helped that despite weight and Type-II Diabetes I was in generally good physical condition which probably made things easier. I'm now about 10 weeks post surgery. I successfully transitioned diet from liquid to pureed to soft foods and then to regular foods. I've experienced two stalls (one early and one now). I've dropped two shirt and pant sizes and am almost ready for a third. I'm still learning how to manage my weight loss and diet while traveling extensively for business. I have yet to get locked into an aggressive exercise regimen but am trying to do so. But overall this has been a totally positive experience and a decision I am 100% happy with.

Congrats! Keep up with the fluids and proteins and the weight will come off.

I love to bake with Protein powder- the unflavored kind can be added to just about anything! Muffins, breads, pancakes- yum!

I have mentioned how hard sipping is, my crazy nausea and the fact that just looking at birth and my protein makes me gag, I think it's all mental being that I did a 3 week liquid diet, towards the end of my diet I was already feeling anxious about these foods. My doctor thinks it's totally normal that I feel this way, well yesterday I fainted and my mom thought it was because I haven't been eating or having much protein. Later on in the day she made me 1 scrambled egg, which I ate (chewed very well) only ate about half or a little more (1.50z) and it did not make me feel bad AT ALL.. I was expecting to feel sick being that I should be starting my puréed today and the scrambled egg is considered a soft food. How many of you have tried soft foods before directed and did not feel sick? I'm not planning on introducing the soft foods for another week as my plan states... merely because I'm scared to eat anything.... gosh, I'm even scared when sipping water [emoji46][emoji19].

It' tough finding out what your stomach will tolerate, even if it is on the approved food list. I was hurting pretty good after eating sugar free Jell-O or sugar free popsicles. But I had no problem with Protein drinks, cream of chicken or cream of mushroom Soup by the end of the 5th or 6th day. But I wasn't eating much of anything the 1st 4 or 5 days, I was hurting too much. Every once in a while I would take a nibble of a popsicle. And stick my head in the freezer. The cold air seemed to help a lot. I developed my own stomach testing system. Eat 1/4 teaspoon of the food and wait 5 minutes, no problems, eat 1/2 teaspoon, wait another 5 minutes. If I've had no stomach upset at that point, I know I can tolerate the food.

Unjury has sample kit on their website. Or check out Nashua Nutrition. They have dozens of protein powder single serving samples they sell for $1.95 each. You can usually find Syntrax Nectar single serving sample packs on Amazon and eBay.

My husband is very supportive of the surgery and has definitely been there for me. But one thing he does that drives me crazy is to question/judge my food choices. I didn't have a protein shake for breakfast and he immediately said I shouldn't eat my breakfast of fruit and cottage cheese. I explained to him that I'm two months out and I don't have to drink a shake, I just do for the convenience. When I went to heat up my lunch, he suspiciously asked me what I was cooking. It was grilled chicken, but we do have leftover fried chicken in the fridge and I know that's what he thought I was going for. Granted, there have been maybe three times I've eaten something I "shouldn't" have over the past two months (really just the past three weeks) - a bite of bacon, a bite of a cupcake, a small piece of fried fish I picked most of the breading off of. But overall I've been very good about sticking to the plan and I've lost nearly 60 pounds. I understand his intentions are good, but I don't want to feel like he's monitoring everything I'm eating. Plus, he's the one bringing chips, sweets, and fried food into the house and I've been great about resisting temptation. I understand that I haven't made good choices in the past, otherwise I wouldnt need the surgery! But I wish he'd trust my judgement. Thanks for letting me vent!

Hi Lesley, You sound like you are headed in the right direction. Go buy some new drawers woman!!! Which cruise did you take? I will be going on a 9 day cruise 4 months out from surgery. I have been sleeved for 3 days and doing ok - some gas pain and rumbling, a little tired. Just today I have managed 11/2 protein drinks and some vitamin water and broth - no picnic but managing.

On her advice I bought a Bento box, mini muffin pan, 1.5 cup food processor, small ice cream maker, Torani syrups in about 15 flavors, and pro Max Protein powder in chocolate and vanilla. I have also gone through every page and copied the recipes I like. She taught me that eating with the sleeve can be nutritious and fun. After her recipes I couldn't figure out why people didn't like Protein shakes.

Make sure you are getting enough protein, liquids, and that you're taking your supplements - this is vitally important. It'll pass soon, hang in there.

Don't go too crazy .......... I spent a fortune on what I might need post op..........bought $50 worth of unjury, couldn't stomach it, gave it away, bought carnation instant bfast on recommendation from my surgeon, couldn't stomach it, threw it out, bought high Protein pudding from GNG, couldn't stomach it returned it. I have enough gasx in my drawer to treat everyone on this board, I was over prepared. Pre op, I was on Optifast only so didn't have much of a selection. Post surgery, I would have been happy to go back on optifast, but just have Soups, Jello, heating pad, gasx, stool softener and take it day by day and introduce things in one at a time. Good luck.

Sushi is soft food but the rice and the nori will be a problem so stick to sashimi and know it is a great source of Protein. Try more tender fish like salmon or tuna and skip the octopus and sea urchin for now.