Search the Community

I had the gastric sleeve a month and four days ago. I did not get a calorie level recommendation from anyone, no. Currently, I am eating every three or so hours, but I cannot stomach either protein powders or greek yogurt. So I eat mostly chicken, eggs, fish, ground beef and some veggies. Not a lot of fruit. Sometimes a half or a whole protein bar per day. I cannot eat much more than around 40-50 grams of meat at a time. If I eat more I will throw up. So, I'm pretty much eating as much as I can. The only way to increase the calories would be with fruit juice or something like that, which is not on my list of recommended foods.

I couldn't kick my coffee, so I make my morning Protein with coffee instead of water or milk. I made my own salted caramel foam, it was so good!!!! I love my chicken salad and ground turkey. I haven't had any grits/cream of wheat/oatmeal yet. I have tried to avoid carbs as much as possible.

I thought I was going to lose my mind if I couldn't chew food soon. Thank the heavens and the gods above for real food once again! My go-to favs are chicken salad, grits and eggs with butter, and I've replaced the morning cuppa joe with a warmed-up protein drink with real whipped cream. Following much more of a clean keto/low carb diet now. really focusing on my protein and water. Life is much happier now

Hello and welcome in the forum, its great to have peoples from other countries who contribute and share their journeys and knowledge. I didn't know anyone who had this surgery either, so this forum was super helpful. In the months waiting my surgery I read thousands of back pages. You are at a really difficult place in your journey. Everything is hard to learn, eating and drinking are difficult. Lots of people find it hard to drink the shakes, I just drank milk with dried milk powder in to boost the protein or milk with peanut butter and fruit. You just have to wait until you can have real food again. We have all been there, it sucks. There are still foods that are off my menu, mainly chicken and the very preloved cooked salmon. I hope that I can eat them one day but its still a small price to pay for my weight loss and getting my life back. I wouldn't change a thing You may get a stall in your weight loss soon. If you want to read up on it, put three week stall in the header. There are thousands of posts. It saves a lot of anguish and asking yourself 'What am I doing wrong' Just take it day by day and trust the process. Go back and ask your team if they have any info that will help you just now with food and drink choices and make sure you have enough medication for the nausea. Good luck in your journey

Wow, lots of new folks joining us this week. Welcome all! I'm finishing up my first week of my pre-surgery diet today. I'm on 3-4 protein drinks and 64 oz fluid per day. No meals. Honestly, it hasn't been a big deal at all. I think what's helping me is lots of variety and just staying busy to keep my thoughts off things I'm not supposed to eat. Plus, I wasn't really eating all that much before this, so the transition wasn't too drastic. My Protein sources: Premier Protein Caramel - I drink this as creamer in 2 very large cups of decaf coffee Fairlife Nutrition Plan Chocolate Homemade Bone Broth Bariatric Pal Hot Chocolate, Cream soup Variety Pack & Variety Pack Pudding Mix My Fluid Sources: Coffee Herbal Iced Tea Store Bought low-sodium Broth Millie's Sippin' Broth (these are a nice change of pace) Other: I'm allowed 1 cucumber or pickle a day (it's nice to have something to crunch) Sugar Free Jello (I don't really count this toward my fluid intake, though I could.

Good luck to everyone having surgery this week. You've got this!!! Today is/was the first day of pre-op liquid diet. Must complete 2 weeks of this before surgery. I've gotten in over 60 oz. of liquids. Mostly water and Gatorade Zero plus 60 grams of protein from the Premier Shakes today. Am I suppose to be doing the 1-2 oz. sips with this pre-op diet?

How far PO are you? Is there a calorie level your nutritionist recommends? Mine had me bump to 800, I'm eating 4 meals a day plus a snack. Every 3 hours I'm eating 2 oz of protein + 2 oz of either veg, carb or fruit. Snack is greek yogurt w protein powder. Constantly putting calories in, 150ish at a time. I feel so full of energy last week, walking 40-60 minutes a day between 2 or 3 walks. Plus I'm just up off my butt so much more than I used to be. I'd check w nutritionist, but maybe a little more calories?

Is anyone else feeling sleepy during the day and/or falling asleep after work? I'm getting at least seven hours of sleep every night and more on the weekend, but I feel awfully sleepy in the afternoon and quite often I fall asleep on the couch sometime between 5 and 7 PM, even if I don't intend to. I'm eating 4-600 calories per day and getting 40-60 grams protein daily, so I feel like I should have enough energy to stay up. Now it's almost 10 PM and I have a headache and want to go to sleep, even if I didn't get up until 7:30 this morning AND took a nap in the afternoon. Has anyone dealt with this and found a way to become more energetic and less sleepy?

This is my go to protein, before and now after surgery. The flavors are so good, and they mix easy. https://1stphorm.com/collections/protein/products/level-1

Hi there, it has been wonderful to read all of the stories here. I'm a 39-year old mother of three from Finland and have had RYGB 17 days ago. Here surgeons actually operate more RYGB than SG (contrary to US), and although I was set on SG before when I decided on needing the surgery, the surgeon did convince me with RYGB suiting me better in the end (and she is the surgeon in Finland who gets referred with the most difficult cases and operates a lot both in University hospital as well a privately, so I just ended up trusting her expertise). I don't know anyone personally who has had the surgery so nobody to really have discussions with about the downs (ups is another matter as I do have a family but obviously not all of the NSV's (a new term I learned today, yay) can be comprehended by someone who really has never been there. I started my journey with the decision in May, first appointment at the clinic June 2nd weighing 352 lb (160kg, I'm 5'10 tall so BMI about 50 at this point), 11 weeks later August 10th had a meeting with the surgeon and internist for approval (weighing 320 lb), had to have ECG and gastroscopy due to medical history to be approved, and the surgery was done 26th of August so jyst over two weeks ago. My weight that day was 317 lb (143,8kg), and currently it is 301 lb (136,6kg). Here in Finland we have the possibility to get the operation through regular healthcare system if we fullfil the criteria (BMI over 35 with obesity related diseases or BMI over 40 plus you need to have had experience before atleast of 6 months of conservative weight loss (can be from the past, does not need to be just then) and you need to lose 8% of your weight prior to surgery with atleast 3-4 weeks vlcd to make sure liver loses its fat to make surgery less risky). I obviously fullfilled the criteria and was referred to the process, but unfortunately due to Covid having resulted in so many cancellations of elective surgeries, the waiting time for surgery was more than a year in every University hospital (we have 5, so I called everyone of them). Here we have this wonderful thing, called progressive taxation which ensures that people who make decent money, don't really get to keep more than 50% of my paycheck so having good healthcare and free education (like University is free, free school meals up until you're 18) comes with a prize tag that we just have had to accept, so obviously I would have preferred to get the surgery for that regular prize (which would have been probably around 300 euros in total with the doctor's pre visits and the hospital days). However I quickly decided, and my hubby agreed, that waiting for a year, maybe even two, was too long as my body had gone through so much already last year. I was worried that too long of a wait would result in me yoyoing with my weight and more complications could have a really bad impact on my long term health. So, I ended going to a private hospital in Finland which in overall was a good experience, and I was able to go home the next day as planned. Tried to go to work 3 days later, but had to go back home after a couple of hours and just work from home the amount I was able to. After leaving the hospital I only took a couple of acetaminophens a day, which I found quite surprising. A week later I was already working regularly normal hours (mostly a desk job, no heavy lifting). No vomiting but a couple of times now that after two weeks I was allowed to have crisp bread (and somehow thought it was a good idea to make it less dry by combining it with cream cheese) have I had it block the stoma or just become just a big clump inside the pouch. Not a pleasent feeling, and tried to drink a bit, and I could feel the fluid staying in the esophagus so just waited it out... Thing I find most annoying is that I have never been a person to drink my calories, not a soup person, especially pureed soups are not at all my thing. Vlcd with the shakes was already a 5 week misery and the the liquid and pureed food phase now after surgery. I already hate all the things I previously used to like such as protein puddings and smoothies. I like the textures of differents foods, fresh fruits and vegetables and can't have most of them in a long time. I have started to chew foods like sweet paprika in my mouth to get the experience and then spit it out to not cause problems. I had no idea I would grow such a disgust (it really is like a physical feeling of nausea) towards so many liquid and pureed foods so quickly.. Feels like right now, at this point when I really don't have any of the NSV's etc effects yet, that it is quite hard to stay in positive at times when the physical nausea, inability to join the family dinners etc. makes you feel down. Maybe atleast some of you understand where I'm coming from, some support would be encouraging. At least reading threads about different topics related to WLS is already something to keep my mind of negativity. Final note; WLS aka weight loss surgery sounds so much more upbeat than our translation in Finnish which is Lihavuusleikkaus (direct translation to Englush for it is Obesity surgery). It sort of has the emphasis on the obesity rather than what it aims to do. Person who came up with the terminology must not have been obese themselves... For anyone who actually read the whole post, thank you, I appreciate it! Sent from my AC2003 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi J The struggle is real, I should have gone with the chocolate protein powder instead of the plain. I'm not getting in no protein, I feel pretty bad no energy. I'm going to order something from the Bariatric store.

Thanks for your question - my sleeve was 9/9/22 and I, too, am really struggling with pain and getting all my goals. I like Premier Protein - pre made shakes are okay - but my favorite is their chocolate powder which I put in milk (usually 4oz at a time). It’s nice to be able to control the amount. I find that anything that’s more than 4oz is too much and just makes me feel overwhelmed. Good luck on your journey!

It gets so much easier as you progress through the stages. It does take SOME planning though if it’s a new restaurant. Most places have the menu online so you can study it before hand. I am in maintenance and I will usually order alacarte and get a grilled protein and veggies. If that’s not an option I will get an entree and have just a couple of bites and I get a salad or veggies as the side. Depending on how the protein is prepared sometimes I really have literally just a taste and I just have a protein shake as a snack to compensate. If I can get grilled protein I will have that and a few bites of the salad. If it’s not a healthy choice I will cut off what I eat and box up the rest right away to send home with whomever I am dining with and if not I will waste it (something that is still a little difficult for me but I know if I take it home I will eat it). The biggest thing I find helpful is to review the menu the night before because EVERYTHING looks good in the moment, of course, and it takes me a while to talk myself out of ordering that junk. Usually If I study the menu the night before I can talk myself into a relatively healthy option by the time I get there but if I just wait till I get there I am very tempted to order those less healthy options. Also, I never go to a restaurant when I am starving. Everyone who I dine out with knows I eat on a schedule. If I am out with family or my best friend we stop to eat on my schedule if at all possible. If it’s not possible I will have a protein snack so that I am not feeling super hungry when I get there because that’s when I make bad choices.

Keto is HIGH fat, low carbs and moderate protein. Bariatric is HIGH protein, and from there depends on the surgery team. Some are low carb/sugar low fat. Others are a BALANCED low fat/low sugar diet. Mine is VERY balanced, I have never heard anyone on my team tell us we can't have carbs. Through all the classes, appointments and Nutritionists follow ups. They all say the same thing, balanced diet while making sure we get our protein first and then veggies, if you want or have "room" then have the carb. Understand this is only my opinion: I do not think it is realistic to think someone is going to stay "keto" or "extremely low carb" for the rest of their life. Isn't that how we all YO-YO? By doing extreme diets that we realistically cannot maintain long term? I have lost 100+ lbs 4 different times. (I know, ridiculous) The last time I even had skin removal surgery and still gained it back because eating chicken and broccoli every single day was not realistic! This is what convinced me to finally have WLS. I went through the classes for pre-op still hesitant to have WLS and just figured what do I have to loose by learning more about it in a formal manor. I learned that while some things we might not be able to eat, there was really not the restriction of foods like I heard by travel of words. Even on my worst days, I haven't been even able to eat more than 1200 calories. it really is the restriction of capacity that makes the HUGE difference from a diet to WLS. Eating healthy (most of the time) was never a problem for me. My problem was ALWAYS being hungry, eating 3 servings of chicken rather than 1. Eating 3/4 slices of pizza rather than a half a of slice without eating the outside crust. Again, my opinion and what works for me may not work for you or the next person. I think we all have to figure out what works for us and go from there. Everyone is so different and every bariatric team/center is just as different. I had this surgery so I can eat like a normal person and not like a 400 lb person. I am almost 6 months post op and when I eat around people, rarely does anyone notice my diet being different than their own. I think maybe 3 times someone (who doesn't know I had WLS) has commented about what I was eating. You do you girl, work with your team. Find out what works best for you and run with it! Modify it as you go if needed. We are all on the a different version of the same journey. We got this!! (Sorry for my long post, I got carried away)

Yeah, my surgeon was mostly concerned that I could get my liquids in. I found low salt bone broth and 2 cups was 20g of protein. It was so comforting all warmed up. Just keep trying and drinking. Warm drinks like herbal tea felt good too.

If you are allowed caffeine try the caffe latte shake by premiere protein. If not try their clear protein waters. I was the same way with sweet post surgery and that caffe latte and the fruit punch clear were the only two things that didn’t taste too sweet to me. A lot of people also speak about the fairlife protein shakes for this situation. I have not tried them though.

It can be challenging at first. The first couple of days I barely ‘ate’ a thing. My surgeon was ok if I didn’t reach my goals as long as I was making an effort & getting closer but that was my surgeon. I found the shakes disgusting & found them a struggle to drink. I had one a day & diluted it in an attempt to make them more palatable. I also had cream soups, consommés & bone broths (though I found them very salty). I discovered a high protein drinking yoghurt, after my liquid stage unfortunately, but you can make your own simply by adding milk to a suitable yoghurt (use the yoghurt you are allowed in the purée stage) & blend. Milk is also an easy protein source. Try some of the unflavoured protein powders & add them to soup or milk. There’s also protein waters you can try.

The BariatricPal Store carries a huge selection of Bariatric-friendly Protein drinks at https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/protein-powders. Here are some popular options: BariatricPal Protein ONE: MultiVitamin, Calcium, Iron, Fiber & Meal Replacement from https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/protein-powders/brand_bariatricpal Syntrax Nectar Protein Powder Sampler Variety Bag - All 17 Flavors! from https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/protein-powders/products/syntrax-nectar-protein-powder-sampler-variety-bag-all-17-flavors GENEPRO Medical Grade Unflavored Protein Powder - 3rd Generation! from https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/genepro/products/genepro-medical-grade-unflavored-protein-powder-3rd-generation Bariatric Advantage HPMR High Protein Meal Replacement - Available in 8 Flavors! from https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/protein-powders/products/bariatric-advantage-high-protein-meal-replacement Protein tubs from https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/protein-powder-tubs Protein Smoothies from https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/smoothies Hot Protein Drinks & Soups are great alternatives to protein shakes: Hot Protein Drinks: https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/hot-protein-drinks Hot Protein Soups: https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/soups-bouillons-broths

While losing post surgery, you can do things like eat the filling out of steamed wontons & the chicken & a couple of the vegetables from braised chicken & cashews or the prawns from braised prawns & vegetables. There’s always the soups too. Just avoid as much of the sauces as you can, no deep fried dishes & no rice or noodles. With Italian it may be more difficult to find suitable appetiser options. You may have to share a non pasta, pizza or rice main course or take home leftovers. If there are limited choices, you can always order a pasta dish with say meatballs or a ragu where you can pick out the meat. There may be a soup option for you to try. There’s always going to be that situation you can’t avoid where you have limited food choices while you are losing. You just have to do the best you can & make the best choice from what is available. As long as it’s a rare occurrence, you’ll be okay. Once into maintenance you’ll have more options but how careful you are will be more of a personal choice.

Gosh guys, I'm needing some help, my sleeve was Friday morning I can't seem to get my protein in....because it's all nasty. Any ideas what I can do?? Thanks

I was told to expect 2 weeks minimum, and I work from home. The issue isn't pain, it's mostly due to tiredness and brain fog. Also, it's super hard to get your fluids/protein in, and that will just be harder if you're trying to work as well. Can you take short-term disability?

My first week was clear liquids and protein drinks weren’t allowed. This week I have been allowed, but they are just sickeningly sweet to me. I was able to get down a third of an Atkins shake by cutting the whole shake with about 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Mostly I’m living on Creamy chicken soup broth and it hits the spot. So good. Before surgery, I loved the Gatorade Zero with Protein. Now I hate it. Ditto on sf pudding…yogurt…protein shakes…anything sweet. All I want in this life is a fried egg with half a piece of toast.

I’ve probably met water goals but protein? Not even close. Doing the best I can and as I am allowed more foods, I will get closer to my goals.

Honestly, I told my husband Chinese and Italian are out till post op able… but I have contingency that I have researched in case that’s where we go. for chinese most things have cornstarch (high carb) or other breading and sugar… (even beef with pea pods is high carb due to cornstarch in dish)…ordering from a menu I can get egg fu young patties, no rice and no gravy. It’s one of the very few low carb options. (Unless they will do stir fry with no thickeners and a non sweet sauce) italian, my contingency dish is simply an antipasto appetizer as my meal and just avoid any non keto parts… I looked up each restaurant I could go to and get dishes and substitutions that fit my eating plan. Having an app on your phone helps to look up things on the fly… I use carbmaster and it works well… may take longer to order, but worth it

Thank you. I’ll keep everyone posted as soon as I can. I love the Premier Protein Shakes. I buy vanilla and add a few drops of extract flavoring… my favorite is almond…I also add extract to my water, no artificial sweetener taste