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What are your doctor's post op food orders for you? I have to be on full liquids for 2 weeks following the surgery. That includes: protein drinks, strained soups/broths (even strained cream soups--but not pureed soups), thinned down yogurt (pourable like kefir), jello, popsicles, clear liquids, and if memory serves liquidy cream of wheat (but I may be making this part up--I just wouldn't do it cuz it would make me hungry). Maybe you just "think" you're hungry and need to chew because you have a lot of acid churning? Are you on any kind of omeprazole or anything? As far as head hunger goes...binge watch a series on TV!! Go for hourly walks--outside if you can...get a huge calendar and mark off the days left on your liquid diet. If necessary, call and talk to your surgeon and see if they can give you any help?!! Hang in there!!!!

Yep. It's a nice way to know I've got almost half of my protein intake covered for the day. It takes the pressure off of eating. I mean we're all happy to get back to eating real foods, but dammit there were times where I wanted green beans (or any veggie) rather than more chicken or yogurt. Doc may not have approved of the extra meals but it's what I needed to do.

I've never read any research on this - all I can report is my personal experience. If I don't eat before going to the gym in the morning I can't perform at my normal levels, I have no energy. I need to have some yogurt or a banana before going to the gym. I'm interested in seeing the feedback on your question.

Im not sure there is too much fat. That is one of the most surprising things I’ve learned since keeping track of what I eat since surgery. I’m almost 6 months out. Every day apparently over 50% of my diet comes from fat. My egg each morning is cooked in grass fed butter. I use normal cuts of meat. I cook or use coconut oil or olive oil in meals. I eat my protein powder in full fat Greek yogurt. My tiny portion of homemade granola has whole milk on it, and has fatty seeds in it. i lose weight steadily. Eat plenty of healthy fat. I finally believe fest doesn’t make you fat, as long as it is healthy fat. (Bad fat would be the tub down at kfc in the fryer, cheap salad oils etc) ive never felt that sweaty dumping feeling from fat. However, I have felt really bad after eating a bit of carb like a couple bobas in water, or even one tortilla chip. And I don’t touch sugar or sweet stuff, not even more than one bite of fruit. So I’ve learned it is not fat I need to avoid but sugar/bad carbs. EDITING TO SAY I HAD GASTRIC SLEEVE NOT BYPASS. MAYBE THAT IS WHY I CAN EAT FAT AND NOT CARBS. SORRY!

I know that the Vitamin stuff is really hard to figure out because the Medical Community is not always on the same page. But...with that said, one of the things my Surgeon really stressed that using a BARIATRIC Vitamins are the best way to get what we need after our WLS. With that said, I figured that I wanted to take whatever I need to be healthy. I use CELEBRATE Multivitamins. They are something I feel that I don't want to take chances with. They aren't that expensive I don't think. I also use Capsules and my DR told me if they were too large to swallow that I could open them and put them in food. Applesauce, yogurt or oatmeal. They weren't too large for me. I did use Centrum chewable right after my RNY, but they were way t sweet for me. Just like was said, think of the price as an investment towards your health. Good Luck. Have a great evening.

Hi Lina! I had the same exact issues that you are experiencing! I had to get a dialation done within a month of my surgery, I couldn’t swallow water, much less anything else! I lost a lot of weight my first month because of my issues! Prior to surgery, I was a picky eater, but I was forced to change everything. I had no clue that Greek Yogurt would soon become my new Best friend! I can honestly say, it will get easier!! Hang in there as you are going to go through so many changes the first few months! Stick to not eating and drinking at the same time, eat slowly and I never finish a meal. Always remember you are beautiful and worthy of being the best you can be! And that isn’t measured by a scale!

I have yogurt that I'm not going to be eating for a while (surgery on Monday). I'm going to try to freeze some in my silicone ice cube tray! Good idea!

You can try nonfat yogurt if it's the smooth kind (no fruit on the bottom or pieces of fruit mixed in).

Fitzer is good. you will be fine. my advice for the first month? be kind to yourself. listen to your body (this would be my main advice at month 1 or month 6, or in perpetuity actually). if your body wants to rest, rest! eventually, your energy will come back and you will literally feel compelled to get up and move. it won't be something you have to do, it will be something you'll be seeking to do! and yes, it's all about walking. don't get crazy with working out for the first year. but walk as much as you can. i usually walk about 3 miles a day. and am still hopping around the house on top of that! as you progress in your eating, listen to your hunger signals. they have been "reset" by the surgery and are very true now. some days you will be hungry - so feed yourself as much healthy food as it's calling for. other days you won't have hunger at all - so focus on getting the minimum protein but don't force much on top of that. i remember at about month 2 i had an entire Chipotle salad w/ chicken for dinner. finished it with ease! i was shocked! but then the next day, i sat down to eat a small bowl of chili and got the most overwhelming "full" sensation after about 3 spoonfuls, so i just put it down and walked away. i personally do not agree with the typical bariatric dr's plan of "three meals a day". i understand why they do it, because a lot of obese people have food addiction issues and they are trying to form better habits. but i've never had food addiction issues. so i eat when hungry and don't when not. i have no desire for junk food or fast food. i only crave healthy vegetables and quality proteins. that's the honest to god truth. the only "goal" i have everyday is getting at least 100g of protein. that's my floor. for most women i think the floor is 80g. i've been doing this since about Month 2-3. some days i'll eat a lot of food on top of that. other days i barely eat anything on top of that. it's worked out well for me. i just go by how i feel, what my body is telling me. to get that "floor" amount of protein, i would suggest having a group of cheap, convenient, and easy-to-eat foods that you can eat every single day that is the basis for your diet. for me? every day i eat two eggs cooked in MCT oil (15g protein), an isopure zero-carb drink (40g), single serving skyr fat free yogurt (15g), and a can of black or pinto beans (30g). that's a built-in 100g of protein, with healthy carbs, fiber, and probiotics. that's about 700calories. after that, sometimes i feel like having a big dinner. or a light dinner. or no dinner. i just follow my hunger signals for that. i think it's good for the body to switch it up like that. 1000 calories one day. 700 the next. 1400 the next. etc. hope that helps. but for you, right now a week after surgery... keep drinking that broth! chicken broth, beef bone broth, miso. it will give you hydration, much needed sodium, and will resemble "real food". all that fake sweet shakes and stuff got old for me real fast.

My doc said to plan on them for life. I was taking the special bariatric vitamins that they sell out of their office, but came to hate the taste and went back to my regular ones. They don't pack as many vitamins/minerals but when I had my subsequent blood tests done to monitor levels I was looking good so I've stuck with them. I try to take a regular multi twice a day and my calcium twice a day. With the bariatric ones they wanted me taking those 3x day but I get a lot of calcium in from my yogurt and other sources.

I go through some weird phases where one day I can get a portion down no problem, then the next day the same size portion would make me feel miserable. I'm a year out now and chicken still will get me from time to time like no other meat does. Haven't been able to figure out any rhym or reason to it. All I can guess is that I didn't chew a few bites well enough, or took a few bites too quickly. For instance, if I was eating a hunk of chicken I wouldn't be able to eat a whole one. However if I took that same size chicken breast and shredded it into chicken salad I could probably get it all down. Most of us get burnt out on protein shakes but try to keep them worked into your diet to hit your daily goals. At least until you can your protein in directly from food sources. My doc used to get "mad" at me for telling him I was eating 3 meals a day plus 2-3 "snacks", but those snacks were good protein sources. There was no way in hell I could get all my protein in from eating in the course of 3 meals. I had no choice but to have a protein shake as a fourth meal or a random Greek yogurt to hit my goals.

Chil fil a Greek yogurt has quite a bit of added sugar. It's probably OK in a pinch, but not regularly.

Ok... Sorry for your struggles! I had hummus, cottage cheese, yogurt right after surgery. All good sources of protein. I also had peanut butter... Just a spoon. My surgeon said the first month is all about water... Drinking water is going to help the inside stitches heal. Pooping takes a while to get right. You have nothing to poop right now so don't sorry about it.... Try some of these soft foods... Also broth is great! Good luck!

Those of you who are post-op, what are the kitchen gadgets/utensils you've found most helpful? I want to make sure my kitchen is ready before my surgery in ~6 weeks. So far, I've got measuring cups/spoons, mini strainers, silicone ice cube trays (for broth and yogurt and such), and small containers for taking lunch to work. As for bigger items, I also have a food processor, blender, immersion blender, and crock pots.

Is chick fil a Greek yourgt a acceptable puréed food?

My Diet plan for life is 700-800 cal a day and getting 60-90 grams protein a day 3 small meals and 2 high protein snacks/supplements no more then 9-10 grams of fat per meal and less then 3 grams per snack Should low/no sugar 64 oz of fluid a day Says nothing about carbs I make sure i get my protein every day by eating 3 yogurts at 12 grams a piece (dannon lite and fit greek yogurt) and 2 20 gram think thin protein bars thats 76 grams Rules i break are a follows I drink Coffee I do not drink 64 oz's of water a day I do not chew my food 20 times before swallowing I do not wait to eat after drinking/i drink with my meals sometimes I still have issues at 4 months out eating solid foods so my meals consist of yogurts, mushy sides and snack foods (i still cannot eat red meat and chicken is only a few bites) and sometimes those mushy sides and snacks are not the best choices but they go down easy. Still trying here!!!

Sorry for the confusion. No, carbs don't have anything to do with the healing process. There's just the concern that even fruit blended down could still work its way into somewhere it shouldn't be. With bananas being a stringy fruit that's one I would avoid (on top of its high carb content). When I hit the pureed stage I started mixing in yogurts to my shakes because I needed something to add some flavor to them. Granted at that stage I hated pretty much everything as my taste buds had rebelled...lol

I think there are two general objections to fruit....that the fructose could cause dumping syndrome, and peels and seeds are too fibrous for your healing tummy and could cause problems (even when blended). Also...the calories could fill you up when you need protein to protect your muscles and organs. Honestly...I think if you talked to your doc/nutritionist about this particular shake working better for you....you might get their blessing. It's a good idea to be honest about what you're doing and at least listen to their input. I would not do any seeded fruit, particularly berries with tiny gritty seeds like strawberries...because thinking about the pouch healing...I think those seeds could get stuck in the suture line and cause problems. Most of the rules the groups put together have good reasons behind them....but I know sometimes individuals need a little individual adjustment due to tolerance issues. I think you'll find most docs/nutritionists will be empathetic and try to work with you. It's what they're there for...communicate with them. Keep in mind that fruit=sugar. Sugar isn't the devil...but it's something we have to be careful of, particularly early in the process. My diet allowed cream of wheat and oatmeal very early, and yogurt clearly has lactose...so sugars aren't exactly banned....but fructose (fruit sugar) is metabolized very fast....so the danger of dumping syndrome on fruit is real.

Ok, so I know all post op instructions are different. My doc says two weeks full liquid before surgery and two weeks after. I’m one week post op so I’ve had nothing but protein shakes and broth (I don’t do jello) for three weeks. I’m very sick of protein shakes to the point where it’s very hard to get enough protein. I found a bariatric surgeon who makes videos for patients on line and see that he has recipes for making post-op protein shakes from scratch. PB2, Banana, Greek yogurt, flavorless protein powder. I tried it yesterday and it was so much better and didn’t hurt my stomach. The only ingredient that my doc doesn’t allow is banana. So I guess I cheated. My question is if you all were allowed fruit in your shakes 1 week post op (well blended of course). I do not need to be told to follow my doctors orders. I know I should. But if this one change is acceptable to other doctors and is just enough to get me through the next week, I may do it. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Is chick fil a Greek yourgt a acceptable puréed food?

I used to HATE Greek yogurt with a passion. I've actually come to like it now more than the standard Yoplait yogurts that I used to get. There are some really good ones out there now. The lower calorie ones that Dannon and Yoplait make are great and they actually have fruit in them. The Oikos ones are good as well but they aren't as good as the others IMO. Yogurts are clutch for me because it's an easy way to get a good shot of protein and calcium in. If you can't stomach the taste of eating yogurt by itself the other thing you can do is try using it as a substitute for mayo. I've fine tuned my chicken salad recipe over the past few months. I’ve moved away from using only mayo to about 80% plain Greek yogurt and 20% mayo. It does make it a wee bit blander, but with the right seasonings it tastes just as good. So now I’ve managed to get more protein into it and cut way back on the calories/fat. It’s also an easy way to boost your protein shakes. Throw a spoonful in and you’ll never know it’s there. In time you might find yourself liking it more. Right after surgery there were things I came to hate that I used to love. Certain drink mix flavors of Crystal Light were my favorites and came to despise them. The first month I was all screwed up with my taste buds. It’s normal to go through that and after a few weeks things got back to normal. I know for some they can’t do Greek yogurt no matter what. It can be an acquired taste for sure.

@orionburn, thanks for the words of wisdom. Everything you said makes good sense. It's hard to keep all this in mind but I have to try harder. One thing I worry about is that Greek yogurt seems to play a big role in most recipes - quick, easy, higher in protein - But I cannot tolerate the taste. Regular yogurt I do ok with, and although it's not a" favorite food", I could live with incorporating it more. But I'm not sure that will have the same desired effect...?

I know it's hard to resist counting calories, but honestly in the early days don't stress about it. I did my journals to track protein as usual. First couple of weeks I was probably around 600 a day. That's all I could manage. Mainly stuck to yogurts, protein shakes, and the early soft foods allowed on my plan. If you're info is accurate it looks like you're only about a week out from sugery? Seriously that's way to early to be stressing about the weight coming off. Getting healed up is priority #1. The weight will come off. Your body has been through a helluva a lot so be patient with it. You're also at a bit lower weight than a lot of others. It's just the nature of the beast. It always seems that weight comes off quicker in the beginning for those that weigh more. Focus on the basics right now. Don't think of your walks as exercise to lose weight. It's to get you up and moving and help the healing process. You got all the time in the world coming up to fine tune your diet and exercise program. I had complications after surgery which made for a very long 2 weeks after surgery. Don't push yourself too hard because it isn't worth risking any setbacks. In time you'll get your calories up, and you're right that you will need to. If they're too low your body will resist wanting to shed weight. I hit a stall for about a week or two in the early months and found that actually increasing my calories helped get the weight coming off again. That being said we're all different. Keep doing a food journal because that will give you something to go back and look at and help figure out what is and isn't working for you. In a few weeks you'll have a lot more options and you'll be feeling way better. The time right after surgery is tough physically as well as mentally. The mental part is what a lot of us weren't fully prepared for. Give it some time and it will all be good!

That is great! It shows dedication to a healthier lifestyle. It'll be good to have a tool (the sleeve) to help keep that off. Your appetite may or may not decrease after sleeve surgery. Mine is still there, but I've read of other who aren't hungry at all for up to a year. I've read that you can expect to lose about 60% of your excess weight with the sleeve, but some have lost more and actually achieved a normal BMI. I've been having some trouble with the diet; I didn't expect it to be this difficult to tolerate. I'm so sick of liquids, of protein shakes, and now of pureed textures. I want something crunchy, a cucumber with greek yogurt ranch dip perhaps. I'll get to regular foods eventually, but the wait is a lot longer in my mind than I was expecting. My weight loss has also been slow so far. I was sleeved on 12/7/17 and have lost about 12 pounds since then, which seems low. I suspect it's due to my medications, because there's no way it's due to excessive caloric intake. And it turns out that the timing is harder than I anticipated. Having the surgery before the holidays has been really hard. I was having a little bit of regret at first, when I was more bummed out about these issues, but I don't regret the surgery at all. I think it's one of the best decisions I've ever made. I totally feel a difference from the band. I had a more difficult recovery with the sleeve than the band (a week of mild nausea, stomach cramps), and as I wrote about above, the inital diet is typically long and in my opinion sucks, but it'll be worth it. So far, instead of my food getting stuck at the top of my stomach, it slowly makes its way to the bottom until I feel satisfied. You still have to eat slowly, and take small bites and chew chew chew, but I've not had any regurgitation, "stuck" foods, or "slime-ing", even now that I've started puree. Also, NOT HAVING A PORT. That's glorious. I hated the thing. It flipped on me shortly after placement, so I had to have another surgery to fix it, the fills were painful, and it was plain uncomfortable under my skin. The sleeve is like night and day from the band. It's becoming very common to revise from the band to sleeve. Best wishes as you make your decision.

Phase one... Yogurt and a few bites of scrambled eggs. Phase two... I tore off a few pieces of a piece of a baked chicken wing and whatever I didn't finish, my sister did. Hey at least I'm being honest. Doesn't mean I encourage it but the stuff I could eat, I couldn't stand eating to the point I wasn't eating no matter how much anyone told me to eat. Interesting thing is that it stayed down. I ate what I knew I could handle. I was on the lower side of the 200s then. Probably around 144 today. Guess I'll see later on this morning. I know I didn't make the best of choices but broth, popsicles and jello got gross to me real quick. Hw-273 Sw-226 CW-145 GW-130 Size- 4 or 6, Small in sweats. Small in shirts. depends on how it's cut or made. Bra Size- 38D Surgery Date- April 26th, 2017 RNY "Only those who try will become" FFX