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My typical day is eggs or a protein drink for breakfast. Chicken or turkey and cheese for lunch. Chicken, fish or steak for dinner with a little salad or couple bites of veggies. Some of my favorite snacks are yogurt, apple with PB, cheese sticks, pepperoni chips, quest bar and nuts.

I'm over 5 weeks post op. I was eating some Light & Fit vanilla Greek yogurt, when I had one of those forehead slapper moments. If I can only eat a cup or two of food per day, I am not going to waste it on anything I don't enjoy. Ever again. The yogurt went into the trash. So will most of the Protein powders and shakes taking up room in my kitchen. No more EGG BEATERS, nasty stuff. I want to savor my food and not just get my protein grams. I've spent much of my life eating things because they were supposed to be better for me. No more. So...now what? I'm gonna have to put some thought into this. I go grocery shopping on Saturdays. We shall see.

Sure thing! Well, for starters, you gotta know how to cook quinoa right: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-quinoa-63344 I sometimes use a bit less Water than they suggest, so it stays a bit firmer, but that's just trial and error. Like I said, I usually also use veggie broth (chicken broth would work as well) instead of or mixed with water. As for recipes, this salad was a big hit a bbq I went to recently. It's very simple: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/04/quinoa-chickpea-and-avocado-salad.html Here's one I've been wanting to try: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-14642/quinoa-fritters-with-garlic-aioli-gluten-free.html I think you could add other veggies as well, and also more spices. And you could use a yogurt dip too, if the idea of almonds or cashews is too hippy-dippy at this point. There's also this quinoa a pizza crust. It's a good way to add some extra Protein and cut out processed flour if you feel like splurging on pizza! I think for us, one slice is enough, and the rest can go to whomever you're sharing the meal with: http://www.oatmealwithafork.com/2014/03/03/5-ingredient-quinoa-pizza-crust-vegan-primal-gluten-free/ And finally, here's one for a black bean and quinoa chili (you could also add meat to it, I'm sure). I haven't tried this exact recipe, since when I make chili I tend to just wing it, but I know that cooking quinoa in chili or curries is really yummy and the reviews on this one are excellent. With this sort of thing, the quinoa sort of dissolves a bit, so it might be a good first recipe for you: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quinoa-and-black-bean-chili/

Okay, so I have a better idea now. It is not that she can only eat mushy, but just in general she has major food intolerances. There are probably people here who have much more experience with this, but about a year ago (which would have been 2 years post revision to sleeve) I went through a time when I couldn't eat due to no appetite. I didn't puke, it was just that everything made me naseaus. I thought it was a physical problem, but it actually turned out to be more emotional in nature, and once I STOPPED eating, getting restarted was a challenge. It is like once the tummy is used to undereating, you become prone to eating less and less. It is ironically much like overeating.... so what started as an emotional upset became a physical issue for me. Since I didn't have a mecanical reason for my issue, i had to "work at it" and did recover and and am doing awesome now. Okay, DGL Licorice is a soothing herbal remedy you can buy at Vitamin Shoppe etc for about 10 bucks. They are these big tablets that you bite into a couple of pieces (meaning, a few crunches) and then tuck between your lip and gum and just slowly let it melt. It coats your throat, and tummy in a soothing way. It doesn't instantly fix things, but it just calms things down... I used them 1-2 a day when i was feeling naseaus. over time, it made a huge difference and I keep them on hand even now. the other thing I did was find the circumstances/food that I could tolerate and started by carefully eating those. In my case, the key to the root cause of my problems were that I could eat fairly well if I was out with friends, it was being home alone when I simply could not eat. Well, I started going out more so I could get some food in every day. In your wife's case, perhaps just very gently eating the things that seem more appealing. If toasted waffles work i will speculate that crackers perhaps with a bit of cheese or Peanut Butter might work? I think toasted bread, crackers and stuff has a texture that is likely easier than raw bread type products. I suspect raw veggies are hard to eat. Maybe soft fish is edible? I would also seriously try to find a palatable Protein drink or make homemade smoothies. sometimes people can drink more nutrition and calories than they can eat. Example might be a greek yogurt, fruit based drink with perhaps a bit of unflavored Protein powder in. If she can tolerate peanut butter, that adds fats and calories too. Warning: in my early months peanut butter made me sick because it is so rich, so go easy at first. Has she tried Protein Bars? i avoid them in general because for me they go down too easy (but they helped me when i was struggling with eating). I wonder if she finds a wonderful tasting one she can kind of slowly munch on them? They often are very dense in calories and carbs in addition to the protein. I hope others with food intolerances pipe in with ideas!

Yep. Take an equal portion of regular non-fat yogurt and regular non-fat greek yogurt. The greek yogurt will have nearly double the protein and half the sugar. It also (to me anyways) is much more rich and creamy and pleasant. The only downside is the somewhat tart flavor (this is because they remove a lot of the lactose (milk sugar) and some whey). That can be remedied with flavored sugar free toppings, protein powders, dip packets, and later on some blended real fruit. It truly is a wonderful food. Greek yogurt is also often better tolerated by those with lactose intolerance because it has much less lactose.

I tried so far Chobani and Fage greek yogurt,and I didn't like them The flavor is disgusting ( to me ) even if I add to the plain one Torani SF syrup or splenda. Is there any other "bariatric friendly " yogurts that I can try out there? I know the greek yogurt is high in protein Which one is your favorite?

Yogurt with sliced almonds

I went to my doctors office yesterday because I felt that that food getting caught in my throat sensation was getting worse. I started having issues with drinkable protein yogurt and swallowing pills. I spoke to the nurse on the phone and she told me to come into the office. I asked to me seen by an MD. Three days ago I noticed a bulge the size of a softball sticking out on my right side under my breast bone. I’ve also had pain on my lower back. When I went into the office, the NP came into the exam room. She was very dismissive of my symptoms that I have been experiencing in conversations with her. I told her that I was told that I would be able to see an MD and if I couldn’t, I was going to call my PCP and go see another bariatric specialist. She left the room and came back with a surgeon. The NP examined me and said I had a hernia and asked me if I ever had issues swallowing. I haven’t. Seconds later my surgeon came in. He is well know and people come from all over the country come to see him for bariatric surgery with him. That’s why I chose him. He examined me and said that I didn’t have a hernia and the bump was tissue that is healing. He sent me to get an X-ray with contrast die and that’s when I learned I had stenosis. The opening of my stomach was narrowed due to scar tissue. On Monday I have another operation scheduled for my surgeon to remove the scar tissue. He said that this happens with 2 percent of patients after surgery. After surgery I have to go back to the liquid food plan and start over. I’m feeling really scared and hoping that one day I’ll be able to eat normally and healthy. I’m worried that something happened to me and I may have to live with a disability for the rest of my life. I’ve lost 25 pounds since my surgery day, which was July 20th. I’m not that excited about that because of these complications that I’ve been having.

The sample I will need to follow after my surgery is as follows: breakfast - 1/4 - 1/2 cup of cottage cheese low fat or yogurt am snack - 1 cup of Protein Shake with skim milk lunch - 1/4 - 1/2 cup of cottage cheese low fat or yogurt pm snack - 1 cup of Protein Shake with skim milk dinner - 1/4 - 1/2 of strained cream soup or cottage cheese This is the post op diet with plenty of protein that my doctor gave me and make sure your broth is low sodium. As you can see protein is key, if you try this for one day you will see results.

cottage cheese and greek yogurt was my favorite!! Good sources of protein!

I am 3wks post op and I've been lactose intolerant since surgery day. The episodes can be really bad if I drink a protein shake that has lactose in it. Even yogurt which usually doesn't have much lactose can set me off. I did find a protein powder that worked for me. It's syntrax. It's both lactose free and gluten free and it sits really well after surgery for me. The twisted cherry flavor has been my lifesaver. I can't say enough good things about it.

Mine is a 3 month diet as well. 4 weeks is definitely more bearable! I'm 13 days post op today and this morning I heard my stomach growl! But I still wasn't hungry! As I mentioned before, my tolerance for soft foods is very good. So, i started chewing on more soft foods (crab meat, yogurts, sweet potatoes etc). I have lost about 5lbs post surgery but I've lost a very noticeable amount of inches in my waist and my upper body area. My face has really thinned out as well. I'm not really stressing about the number-it will go down with time. I just want to be healthy and not malnourished in the long run. It's hard to even remember to eat! And I'm still struggling with getting all of my fluids in. It's a work in progress! I feel great though! Yes stomach noises!!! My NUT said the stomach noises mean our stomachs are cleaning themselves and I don't think I've actually had real hunger, more mental, no growling due to hunger only cleaning! Yes the number does not matter! Physically I have changed drastically! Jeans are getting looser, roundness in my face too has gone down. I think being scale obsessed will hurt more and I did read that one, your body can be changing the fat into muscle with all the Protein and two, tightening and toning up; either way there is loss in inches, dress sizes and FAT! Definitely feel great too!

Mine is a 3 month diet as well. 4 weeks is definitely more bearable! I'm 13 days post op today and this morning I heard my stomach growl! But I still wasn't hungry! As I mentioned before, my tolerance for soft foods is very good. So, i started chewing on more soft foods (crab meat, yogurts, sweet potatoes etc). I have lost about 5lbs post surgery but I've lost a very noticeable amount of inches in my waist and my upper body area. My face has really thinned out as well. I'm not really stressing about the number-it will go down with time. I just want to be healthy and not malnourished in the long run. It's hard to even remember to eat! And I'm still struggling with getting all of my fluids in. It's a work in progress! I feel great though! Yes stomach noises!!! My NUT said the stomach noises mean our stomachs are cleaning themselves and I don't think I've actually had real hunger, more mental, no growling due to hunger only cleaning! Yes the number does not matter! Physically I have changed drastically! Jeans are getting looser, roundness in my face too has gone down. I think being scale obsessed will hurt more and I did read that one, your body can be changing the fat into muscle with all the Protein and two, tightening and toning up; either way there is loss in inches, dress sizes and FAT! Definitely feel great too! I am like you.I don't believe in weighing myself obsessively.I know I am losing ...it shows in my face etc...but for me to obsess over every pound is not cool for me.It will discourage me.

Due to the limited stomach capacity I am trying to eat the best nutritional foods with vitamins and minerals I can. Besides protein requirements what are some foods you eat to get the best nutritional bang for your buck? I still have a premier protein shake daily. I eat yogurt and spinach daily. I eat pumpkin seeds and or walnuts often too. I know a varied diet with different fruit and veggies is good but sometimes i want to just stick with something I know I will get a lot of nutrients from. I don't eat beans often and think maybe I should try to add some to my diet.

Does anyone else experience the feeling of fullness yet your stomach is still growling? I'm still having a really hard time trying to figure out when I'm really full. Last night after drinking 1/2 cup of Tomato Soup on Hand I felt really full - like I had over ate and it was hard to breathe. Tonight, I had just a small yogurt and felt the same way but my stomach was growling like crazy. It's now 3 hours later and I still feel really full but my stomach is still growling. Am I really hungry? Should I eat or ignore the growling?

@@NewAngela - We're pretty close in terms of surgery dates (3/16 here) and I've found I can only have celery chopped up very small, as suggested above. Costco sells these amazing chicken salad cups made with greek yogurt instead of mayo that are 14g of protein for a 1/2 cup serving and have a small amount of celery. It's nice to have that little bit of crunch and I haven't had any dumping because of it. If making it smaller doesn't help, I'd hold off for a little bit. 2 months out is still pretty close to be having a lot of fibrous foods. I was told to wait at least 3-4 months before trying to add them in any significant amount.

I was so glad to see this post because foods like yogurt and cottage cheese that I used to love taste off to me. I was wondering if this was normal. I'm still in the soft food phase so am still eating a lot of soup. I'm so curious to know why my tastebuds have turned against me.

I'd respectfully disagree with Grady here. Advice varies in the medical world & each body/stomach is unique. You may require the odd nutritious snack, especially if its high protein. I'm exercising at a level that requires more protein than many at my stage (I'm pretty new to this too!) My nutritionist wants me to have protein yogurts or bars post work out to prevent muscle loss. I know someone who has a long thin stomach & can't fit enough in at normal meal times so must supplement by snacking.

When I get sick of eggs and my protein shakes, I like to have a small bowl of non-fat Greek yogurt, sweetened with a bit of Splenda, mixed in with a few slices of banana, and a small handful of high protein flaxseed cereal added in for texture. Yum! Sweet, creamy, crunchy, high protein, low fat and perfect for those "tight" mornings when nothing much seems to want to go down!

That sounds so good, citygirl. I love yogurt, and bananas. I think I will have to take a trip to Trader Joe's this weekend and pick up some greek yogurt. I've never had it, just 'normal' plain yogurt, but I keep hearing about the greek yogurt. Yum!

My mushie staples were scrambled eggs, fat free refried beans with cheese, ricotta cheese with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, tuna and chicken salad (my NUT allowed me this on mushies but not everyone does) and greek yogurt. You can also take ricotta cheese, add splenda, a little vanilla and lemon zest and get a nice little dessert.

It's hard to follow the doctors orders when you are hungry. I'm on my 8th day of post-op and I'm going crazy. I'm suppose to be on a modified liquid diet for 3 weeks. Which includes protein shakes, jello, yogurt, cottage cheese, watered down oatmeal etc. I found I needed something this morning or I was going to go crazy. I decided to make some instant potato and I watered it down a bit until it was like a cream of wheat consistency added S&P and butter and I can't believe how good it tasted! I felt the same way after I ate it...what did I do, did I just blow it? But I felt fine afterwards and I'm still full even though I only had about a 1/3 of a cup.

I'd prefer to eat smaller amounts of real foods than artificially sweetened stuff - I have a morbid fear of artificial sweeteners plus they give me a headache and I think they taste awful. It's all down to calories in vs calories out and I think you can safely say that given how many of the population is obese these days, artificially sweetened and low fat products have not made a big difference to our diet overall. We just eat more instead. So I dont down a tub of yogurt at a time for instance but will have a spoonful or two of real creamy full fat yogurt on my muesli in the morning. Not much difference in calories but a heap of difference in taste. I do drink skim milk though and always have.

I had sushi and sashimi, and later a yogurt cup with fresh fruit, honey and granola and a double shot of Scotch neat....I had horrible gas after surgery, I'm 2-1/2 weeks post-op and still have gas.....so I'm sure it wasn't the food. The Recovery nurse told me it was the anesthetic (sp), that it affects a lot of people that way. What's wrong with farting in front of your husband?....mine sure doesn't pinch them back! I wonder if the Queen farts in front of the Duke? Carol

hEy guys thanks BUt I do feel like I am failing and messingup badly and don't know if I can do this. I almost wish I was living with someone going through the same thing for moral support. I can't satnd the smells inthe kitchen when they cook and I take off to the computer in the basement. The popcorn went down easy although I could only eat half the large bag I usually get and I ate two hamburger patties, the ones from presidents choice that you nuke and have cheese in them. They were interesting, it felt kinda stuck a little when I think the piece was too large but not painful, so I chewed it up. I hate this full Fluid thing and being hungry is awful I swear. I literally am thinking about food more than ever and craving everyting I can't have. I hate to sound weak but boy I guess this is IT for me as far as my weakness in this world and sometimes I feel it has me beat. I used to think alcoholics etc. man are they weak poeple , "just stop drinking" but that they realy don't wan to, but I know I am addicted to food, it seems to have run my life for so long ad look at the prices I / perhaps you have paid..with health, for me a job and relationships , being reclusive all because of food. I dunno, I am finding this really tough. I am eating yogurt again and going to try to get back onthe wagon...but boy I would love a night at the MANDARIN in Barrie! I read about people living in the same communtiy who get together and meet or go walking and I wishI was closer to some of you here. I mean YOU guys in the canadian group are my support system and I tried the other band the canadian one that sends threads all day, but I just don't feel the same connection there and so far I cannot relate to folks talking about plastic surgery etc... Yoda, Cloe, Argon, wheezy, jude et all, Ifeel weak to say this but I do need your support right now and I am sorry to be a oain but I am finding this really tough.