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Hi Everyone, I have been asked so many times on this board about what Protein drinks are good and some sample meals that I used during the first month and things I did after the 1st month. These are very valid questions and I know when I first started out I had all the same questions. Again this is long so please print this out if you would like. Protein Drinks. My all-time favorite is: Premier Protein Drink. It comes in 11 oz. drink boxes already mixed. There are 30 grams of protein in each box, 160 calories per box, 1 gram of sugar and 5 grams of carbs. The flavor I buy is Chocolate—that is all I can find at costco. I get mine at Costco and I understand that you can get them at Sam’s Club too. You can order these on line at Costco and Sam’s club. They are also available at this Web Site. http://www.premiernutrition.com/product.html I pay about $25.00 for a carton of 18 drink boxes at Costco in the city where I live. I drink one of these every morning for my Breakfast and nothing else and it has been almost 3 years since my “sleeve surgery.” The next Protein Drink that I have tried is called: Matrix 2.0 Mint Cookies made by Syntrax. You can check this out on this Web Site. http://www26.netrition.com/syntrax_matrix_page.html The cost for 2.16 lbs. is $22.99 plus postage. Item # 39-0963 My next Protein Drink that I have tried and like is: nectar, variety pack, you get 13 single servings in a variety pack. The cost is $22.95. This is the Web Site and they are made by Syntrax also. http://www6.netrition.com/syntrax_nectar_page.html There is one other Protein Drink that I found on Obesity Help.com that was rated really high by 188 people. I have never had it, but you might want to check it out. The name of the protein drink is: Carb Solution High Protein Power—it comes in more than one flavor. They also have cans of it already mixed. The Protein Powers cost $12.99. It has 110 calories, 1 gram of sugar, 4 carbs, and 20 grams of protein. This is the Web Site for Carb Solution at Wal-Mart. http://www.buycheapr.com/us/result.jsp?q=Carb+Solution&qs=ti&ga=us7&ts=go On www.ObesityHelp.com they have a lot of different information about Protein Drinks and they list so many different brands and people have rated the ones they really like check this site out. It has a lot of information about almost all the protein drinks that we find out there. http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/nutrition/a,prodsearch/searchtype,1/criteria,11/ I hate Isopure. It does NOT taste good to me—I know that some people like it. I call it Isopuke, and it reminds me of pond scum. I have been told if you buy it at a GNC and don’t like it and still have your receipt they will refund your money if it hasn’t been more than 30 days since you purchased it from them. I guess they will do that with protein powers too—ask before you buy what their policy is about returning something if you don’t like it. So if you want to try it remember this. There always seems to be a GNC in most Malls. This 1st month after weight loss surgery is going to be the hardest one to do. You just get tired of what they want you to do. It is for a reason—the doctors know what they are doing. You need to let your new stomach heal from a major surgery, so that is why you have to do these things the 1st month. You should try to keep your calories at 800 per day and no more than 20 carbs a day if you want to lose weight. The 1st month you really don’t eat a lot. So in the following months keep track of everything you are putting in your mouth. You can track what you eat on this site. I found it to be very helpful to write down EVERYTHING I was putting into my body. If I didn’t write it down I was going over 800 calories per day and would not know I was. It does take time to keep track of it—you are worth the effort, but once you get the hang of it you will know what 800 calories really are. When you exercise this site helps you figure out the number of calories you have burned and that allows you to eat more than 800 calories. It is an easy site to use and it if FREE. http://www.livestrong.com/ The 1st 10 days for me had to be clear liquids—you had to be able to see through them. 1. broth. I used and love “Better Than Bouillon.” It comes in a jar and it is like a paste. I like it because it tastes great and you can make single servings. It is located with bouillon cubes and Soups in the grocery store. I had chicken and beef. I also made some home chicken Soup and strained everything out of it and just had the chicken broth. I would try to have ¼ of a cup of it for part of my meal, but sometimes it was just too much for me. Remember you have a new smaller stomach and it is swollen and can only hold about as much as the size of your thumb. 2. Jello-- sugar free. I might have 2 tablespoons of Jello. That was something I had fixed and ready when I got home from the hospital. 3. I tried to drink 64 oz. of Water and sometimes I could get it in and sometimes I couldn’t. Do the best you can, and just sip it all day long. I would add Crystal Light to the water—it made water taste a whole lot better. 4. Apple juice, white grape juice, sugar free sports drinks, decaf hot tea, also decaf ice tea. 5. Veggie broth or the broth from French Onion soup. 6. Sugar Free Popsicles if my stomach was upset this really seemed to help. The 2nd 10 days. This was much easier to do. If I didn’t mention it, it was difficult for me to swallow my medication so I would crush the medication up and mix it with about 1 tablespoon of applesauce and some Equal and mix my meds in the applesauce and take my medication that way. You will have creamy foods the next 10 days 1. I loved so many of the creamy soups. I used regular Campbell’s creamy soups that they had. I was only having about ¼ cup or maybe a few tablespoons of soup. 2. Jello was still good for me. 3. Sugar Free pudding, maybe 2 tablespoons full. 4. Yogurt a few tablespoons of it. 5. Frozen yogurt. 6. Applesauce a couple tablespoons. 7. A little cream cheese. 8. Sugar Free Fudge Cycles. 9. Premier Protein chocolate Drink mixed in blender with about 4 ice cubes and 1 cap full of Miralax. When you have a lot of protein you get constipated and Miralax works for that. It is tasteless and blends really great in the blender with the protein drink. I use the Miralx daily and it is NOT habit forming. 10. Soft boiled eggs or soft scrambled eggs—eggs didn’t work that well for me. 11. Low fat Chocolate milk. 12. Cottage Cheese. 13. Sugar Free Popsicles 14. Creamy Peanut Butter. The 3rd 10 days and final part of the first month. Yeah the 1st month is almost over. I could eat mushy food. This was more of a challenge than I thought it would be. 1. Mashed sweet potato or mashed yams with a small amount of butter on it. 2. Mashed up chicken noodle soup. 3. Mashed up homemade veggie soup. 4. Eggs that were soft boiled or soft scrambled. 5. Applesauce. 6. Cottage cheese. 7. Premier Protein Drink with miralax blended in the blender with 4 ice cubes. 8. Mashed up steamed carrots 9. Mashed up and blended a little tuna with a small amount of mayo. 10. Blended chicken breast with no skin on it. 11. Ham blended with a small amount of mayo. 12. Water with Crystal Light 13. Jello with fat free cool whip. 14. Yogurt and frozen yogurt. 15. Sugar free pudding. 16. Protein Bars chewed up really well—I could never eat a whole one—just a few bites. 17. Mashed potatoes and cream cheese mixed in with them. 18. Mashed black Beans they have a lot of protein in them. I would have about 1/4 the a cup and that is about 9 grams of protein 19. Sugar Free Popsicles 20. Hard Boiled eggs made into egg salad. If I went out to eat I found that a cup of soup was about the best thing I found that I could eat. I also felt like I was on display sometimes because family and friends would watch me eat. It used to bother me, but not anymore. I watched them eat and I thought to myself. “Oh my gosh they inhale their food and they hardly chew it.” I was always the last one to finish eating. That is OK too. At first I actually mourned the loss of food. Later on I was thrilled that I had the restriction of a sleeve because I was losing weight. I found that chicken and fish were easier to chew and I liked them a lot more than red meat. I said that chicken was one of the main sources of protein for me. I found Kirkland (Costco brand) grilled Chicken breast strips. It is already cooked and I would put one bag (1 pound) in the freezer and use the other (1 pound bag later.) It is really handy to have around and a quick meal to fix if the chicken is already cooked. We also ate more fish. I would buy Halibut or Sole—a mild fish. I would marinate it in OJ or crushed strawberries or blueberries all day. I would also marinate it in law calories Italian Salad Dressing all day. I would cook it in a pan with Pam spray and put garlic or rosemary in the pan when I was cooking it. I don’t eat a lot of red meat and I used to be a real red meat lover. For me it took too much chewing and it just didn’t taste as good as it used to. I will now have a small hamburger and only eat 1/3 to ½ because it just is too much food for me. Ham was something that worked well for me too. I found I could get a large think slice of from the grocery story deli and I would have it for a protein—I would slice off about 2 oz. of the ham. I also enjoy a Taco Salad and I make mine with chicken instead of beef. I love Shrimp and lobster too, so those are my treats that I reward myself with. A typical meal I ate starting the 2nd month after WLS. Breakfast: Premier Protein Drink with Miralax and 4 ice cubes in the blender. Lunch: 2 oz. of chicken or ham with a small amount of cheese melted over it. I would have a bean salad—it has 4 different beans in it. Snack: I would have about 10 dry roasted almonds and maybe 10 dried cherries Dinner: 2 oz. of Chicken or Fish, steamed veggies of some kind. Sometimes my husband and I would split a small baked potato I put a teaspoon of butter and sour cream on it. Snack: Some type of fresh fruit or a Protein Bar. Carbs and what to eat and what NOT to eat About the 3rd month after WLS I would add a little bread in my diet—I could only eat about ½ a slice of bread or ½ of a hamburger bun and they are the “thin” buns that they have out now. They also make a thin bagel. You just have to look when you are shopping in your local grocery store for these things. Try to find Whole Grain carb products and if you can’t the do the whole wheat. Try to stay away from WHITE carbs. They are white refined carbs and that is how we got fat eating a lot of them. Rice should be brown rice and only a small amount—NO white rice. Pasta comes is Spinach or Whole Wheat and you can have only small amounts of it. banana – Medium size has 27 Grams of carbs—I stay away from the banana, and I love them, but I just don’t want to spend all my carbs for the day on a banana. I use a Mexican soft flour shell made of spinach or sun dried tomatoes for making a small sandwich too—you know they call them wraps. Beverage: They do not want you to drink something when you eat—you need the room for the food so that you can get your protein in firsts. During the day I would have water or decaf tea for my liquid after I ate or all during the day. As I said the Crystal Light Individual packs and different flavors worked well in a bottle of water. It seems like it took me forever to eat and drink all the things I was supposed to be eating and drinking. I was always sipping on the protein drink and water. supplements you should take. It is important that you take a multi-Vitamin. I had a difficult time trying to swallowing large pills. Look for an Adult Chewable multi-vitamin. I also have the Chocolate Chewable Calcium that I buy at Costco. As time goes on it will get easier to swallow larger pills. Do NOT take the multi-vitamin on an empty stomach, it may make you sick. My Primary Care doctor was very helpful and after I had been home 2 weeks from WLS, she had me come into for an office visit. She ran a full blood panel and made sure all my levels were ok. I knew my potassium was low when I left Dr. Aceves in Mexicali—they ran my blood test before I left and gave me a very detailed report about my surgery to give to my doctor here in the US. Dr. Aceves told me to have it watched when I got home. I now take a potassium tablet prescribed by my doctor and work on eating food high in potassium. Starting the 3rd month I started to eat more salads about here. I had a favorite and still eat it. It is Fresh Spinach, with slices of almonds, feta cheese, dried cherries, or fresh strawberries, a tablespoon of bacon and Paul Newman’s Light Raspberry & Walnut dressing on it. I sometimes add some of my Kirkland (Costco) Grilled Chicken breast strips to it and then it is an entire meal in one bowl. Chef’s Salad is a great one meal in a bowl thing to have and I just use any kind of dressing I want on it. This salad has lettuce, tomatoes, olives, sliced hard boiled eggs, turkey or chicken, and some ham sliced on it with some cheese. REMEMBER make this in a much smaller bowl than the normal Chef’s salad comes in. Sometimes I will add a small amount of Whole Grain dinner roll or some bread with it. Stir Fry is a great way to get meat and veggies all in one meal too. I have a pan that works great on the BBQ grill and I do a stir fry on the BBQ in the summer time. Have a sense of adventure and take some of your old recipes and see if you can convert them into a healthier recipe. Use veggies that you have never tried. Try some “rubs” on you meat located in the spice section or the grocery store and try to marinate some of your meats all day before cooking them—it really changes the taste of them. Desert I don’t want you to feel deprived. I learned that sometime just a bite or two of a desert really satisfied my need for it. Instead of the WHOLE piece of cake or pie, just a sliver of it worked for me to satisfy my need for it. When you want a cookie have just one small cookie and not the entire bag OK. Sugar free pudding with a small amount of Fat Free Cool Whip is good too. Use Splendia to make a desert that you like. So everything in moderation works. Exercise I was never a fan of exercise until I started to walk and I found out how much I benefited from it. Now I try to exercise 5 days a week. Find some form of exercise that works for you and do it. Start slow and then add more until you are comfortable with it. I am sure I have missed a few things, and I will write those down as I think of them and make a Vol. 2 if I needed too. These are just my suggestions, spice them up and make your food interesting and don’t get in a rut. This is not a diet, you will learn to adapt it and find things that work for you and that you like eating. This is a LIFESTYLE change. Make it work for you. You have the tool of restriction now use your new tool to your advantage. The fat doesn’t just melt off of you. It does require work and effort on your part. Stalls—No weight loss for a period of days. Be prepared you may have periods where you lose NO weight. We call those “Stalls.” You will panic and think for sure that you are the “one person this is NOT going to work on.” I know I was sure that was me. NOT true at all. Our bodies just do this. Mine lasted for 9 days—no weight loss at all. Just keep doing what you are doing and the weight will start coming off again I promise you. I can tell you not to panic but most of you will anyway—that is pretty normal too. Hugs, Suzanne Sleeved 10/21/2008 Lost 105 pounds.

One of the biggest downfalls of the standard American diet is that most of what we eat now is processed in a factory, and we have no recall of what real food tastes like. It just takes a while to get used to real food in it's natural state. Macaroni, bread, and crackers don't grow on vines. You may need to find some Youtube cooking videos or monitor some Paleo or Primal sites like Mark's Daily Apple. Eggface is a good site and is mentioned here often. I was 54 before I ever tasted an avocado, sunchoke, artichoke, asparagus, olive oil, hummus, pomegranate, squash, zuchinni, quinoa, cayenne, coconut milk, almond milk, Greek yogurt, ricotta, asiago cheese, gouda cheese, feta cheese, mascarpone, muenster, neufechatel, dill, pesto, tahini, green tea, kale, eggplant, jicama, tomatillos, shitake mushrooms, capers, tofu, basmati rice, black eyed peas, cannellini Beans, endamame, and prosciutto. This does not include casseroles and Entrees that I was used to, but had never been made from scratch with fresh ingredients. How did that happen? I grew up on TV dinners, Pop Tarts, hot dogs and Kraft macaroni and Cheese because my mother did not enjoy cooking. Eight years ago I met my boyfriend who is a Maltese citizen. He has intoduced me to the Mediterranean style of cooking. Between him and my daughter who became a vegetarian, I have been exposed to all of those foods that I had only heard of but had never tried. Nope, I did not like them all, and I still think tofu is disgusting, but almost everything else is delicious - and I had no idea. So, be brave. Try new stuff and get adventurous in the kitchen. You aren't doomed a life of boiled chicken and unsalted geen beans. I wish you good luck and good health.

Hello Everyone! I am new here. 32 years old and female. I am scheduled to have my Gastric Sleeve surgery on April 14. During the 6 month diet process I have had trouble and am still having trouble figuring out what to eat, mainly because I am a picky eater and also because I really never know what to do with a bunch of ingredients. I was once a big time starch eater; mostly Pasta, pizza, rice, etc. However I started cutting it out of my diet for the sake of my surgery and the weight-loss alone from cutting that has been decent. I started drinking Protein powders (mostly BSN Syntha 6 because the flavors are tasty) about 5 months ago. Now my diet consist mostly of Protein powder, low fat string cheese, Beans, non starchy vegetables, eggs, and chicken or turkey sources with the occasional Peanut Butter on something or some plain oatmeal with smart balance butter and salt or grits (since I prefer that) and Fage greek yogurt with salt (since it makes it taste like cream cheese). I guess my problem is that I am getting bored with the food choices available and have literally been struggling to train my palate to like oatmeal and yogurt (since I never liked them ever growing up). I eat fruit occasionally, but don't really like sweets since I've weened off of sugar a couple years ago and now drink my teas sugar free. I was wondering if anybody who is pre-surgical or post surgical can offer some advice for me. For the past 2 weeks or so I have eaten close to nothing because I don't feel hungry and I also don't want to regain the weight. This is where the "borderline anorexia" bit comes in. Can somebody please help me get through this so I can have a successful surgery and heal properly? Thanks! Keyo

I am 4 days from being 2 mths post op. Basically I eat what ever I want - the thicker the food the less I eat. Yogurt - about 4 oz... Fish about 2 oz and a little less than one egg. On the average between 1/4 and 1/2 cup is max.

Hi Flirtylass You'll be fine. It was a bit scarry when the realisation of it dawned that I was actually getting it done at last - but you'll be in good hands as I believe this Dr has done loads of these ops successfully. I had bit of a feast as well before my pre-op diet and boy did I enjoy it! All I was allowed for 10 days before op was milk/yogurt. This was to shrink the liver and I was starving!!! In fact I miscounted and was on it 11 days instead of 10 (could of had anothers days grazing!) I must say I dont feel any different at the moment - I could still eat the same amounts as before op, but I suppose until the first fill its maybe normal. I am avoiding rubbish though. Again, I wish you all the best it 'll be over before you know it and you can start your new 'journey' - new life. I'll be thinking of you. My only regret is that I didnt do it 20 years ago - but dont think it was available then! Warmest Wishes Wriggle

Welcome to restriction land, Shelly!!! I'll tell you what works for me... The first thing I'd have to say- DO NOT WAIT TO EAT if you are hungry. You'll end up eating too fast or the wrong thing, etc. The rules have changed, now...I can't do that "I'll eat after I..." thing anymore. I end up drinking most of my Water at night now- I have much less restriction, and I get the munchies at night, so I drink a few- probably three- bottles of water before I go to bed. I'm very ready to go to the bathroom in the morning, needless to say. But, I get it in... Breakfast is the hardest...I've found that I can't eat eggs anymore, even cottage cheese is tough- so I eat that Kashie Go Lean Crunch Cereal with milk....or a yogurt, or a Protein shake, or I'll have something non breakfasty that I know will go down- like tuna. I have a sip or two of my sister's soda once and awhile...and I"ve even had a fountain soda with my popcorn at the movies...but it's not pretty after. I get the burps so badly it's hilarious. Plus, giving up soda is a very freeying thing. It save you money, and it's not the greatest thing to be putting in your body. But you already know all that... As I'm writing this, I've been eating a soft taco from taco bell (fresco style, of course) and I realize I should not have taken that last bite. Another tip- that as you can see I don't always follow- is to ONLY eat. Don't watch tv, drive, write emails!, even talking to people makes it harder. Pretty soon you'll notice that you have a sense about what's going on in your stomach and you won't have to focus so intensely. Plus I find I actually taste my food and enjoy the many flavors so much more. Great questions, and I'm so glad they finally figured out what was happening with your band... Megan

I like the fitbit flex, gosh it keeps me in line! Yeah the chapstick is a must, And get a pedicure before your surgery. You will not be able to do your tootsies for a while. No do not stock up on everything ...you will get cabin fever. I made my husband crazy with "take me to winn dixie for some yogurt" and I would buy two containers of yogurt. That is cause I wanted to go somewhere. Make sure you get over the hospital stuff, like the drugs the sleepy guy gives you, they will mess you up for a while. I know I had cream of mushroom Soup and cream of chicken, that I would put in a blender and sip for something different. But your taste will change, I would love a salt lick I bought gummy Vitamins from walmart

Hey, BariatricPal Members! It’s hard to believe that we’re already through January and into February! We hope that so far in 2014, you have been achieving your goals in weight loss and in life. BariatricPal is the best place for weight loss surgery support, so we hope you’ve been visiting frequently. If not, come on back and join the conversations! Before you do, take a look at this month’s newsletter. You’ll find: Member Poll: How Do You Beat the Cold? Member Spotlight: Meet Joanna! BariatricPal Social Media – Stay Connected! Surviving Super Bowl Sunday After Weight Loss Surgery Enjoy the newsletter, and then talk about it – and whatever else is on your mind – at BariatricPal. There’s always plenty going on there to take your mind off of the winter weather and to motivate you to stay on track with your weight loss. See you on the boards! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal Member Poll: How Do You Beat the Cold? This year has seen record-setting freezes and winter storms throughout much of the country, and the cold weather will stick around for a few more weeks. Whether you are a New Yorker who has seen temps dip below 0 degree Fahrenheit or a Californian who shivers when it is below 50 degrees, what do you do to keep warm? Exercise more. It gets my metabolism going and keeps me warm for hours. Plus, I burn extra calories! Drink some hot coffee or tea to warm up my insides. Plus, since my weight loss surgery diet doesn’t let me eat solid foods when I drink liquids, drinking coffee or tea keeps me from turning to food to warm me up. Turn up the heat or start a fire in the fireplace, pile on the blankets, and distract myself from the cold by reading, knitting, using the computer or talking on the phone. Nothing in particular, but I need help! Since weight loss surgery, I have been less able to tolerate cold than I used to be. I hate to admit it, but the only thing that warms me up is some good old comfort food…macaroni and cheese or freshly baked Cookies. Luckily, I can’t tolerate much after weight loss surgery! Other (tell us!). Click on this link so you can select your answer and give us more details in the forums! Member Spotlight – Meet Joanna! We are thrilled that our first member spotlight of the year is on Joanna. Joanna knew she was overweight, but the deciding factor in getting surgery was when she had to get off of a roller coaster because she could not fit into the seat! She is a gastric bypass patient who got her surgery done in June of 2012. Her health insurance approved the procedure, and her hospital stay was two days. At a height of 5’7”, Joanna weighed 289 pounds and had a BMI of 45. Since losing 73 pounds, she has achieved a BMI of 33, and is about halfway to her goal weigh of 150 pounds. The journey has been hard, but she has no regrets and would do it again. She says that the drawbacks are that she has low Iron and Vitamin B12 levels, and she does not like constantly being on medications. On the other hand, she recommends the gastric bypass to anyone who needs it because it could save your life. She watches everything she eats to make sure she loses weight. Joanna says she chooses fat-free and no sugar-added choices whenever possible. She tries to avoid junk food. And her favorite snack? Greek yogurt with fruit. Great choice! It’s high in Protein, low in fat, and high in dietary Fiber. You know what you’re doing, Joanna! Thank you, Joanna, for being in our spotlight! All the best to you as you continue on your journey, and thanks for sharing it with BariatricPal. We also want to mention that Joanna welcomes questions from other BariatricPal members! Our member spotlights feature BariatricPal members who have gotten any type of weight loss surgery. This is to help promote BariatricPal’s mission of providing a unified front for all types of weight loss surgery. We can all learn from each other, regardless of where you are in your weight loss journey or what type of surgery you have or are considering. Are you interested in being in our member spotlight? Do you know a BariatricPal member that you would like to see spotlighted? Let us know! Nominate yourself or someone else in the Member Spotlight topic or send Alex Brecher a private message (PM). BariatricPal Social Media – Stay Connected! BariatricPal isn’t just at our website and on our mobile apps for Android and for iPhone, iPod, and iPad. We are all over the internet on your favorite social media. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and check out the latest happenings on Google Plus, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. All of the links to our social media sites are available at the bottom of each page of BariatricPal. Be the first to know what is happening at BariatricPal! Surviving Super Bowl Sunday After Weight Loss Surgery Super Bowl Sunday is Sunday, February 2. Even people who do consider themselves diehard football fans tune in to the big game. If you are one of the 150 million people who are expected to watch this Sunday’s game between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks, chances are that you have to face the food that comes with a Super Bowl party. chips and dip, jalapeno poppers, chicken wings, snack mixes, pizza and cupcakes just aren’t for you anymore after weight loss surgery. They are not only high-calorie, but they can give gastric bypass and sleeve patients dumping syndrome or cause obstructions or blockages for lap-band patients. You can still enjoy good food at your Super Bowl party, though. Just plan ahead, and use these strategies to help you. Be Sure There is Something You Can Eat If there is no food available that you should eat, you will probably end up eating something that you should not eat. Make sure that there is some food available that is part of your weight loss diet. You can prepare enough only for yourself, or you can prepare one or more larger dishes or platters that everyone can share. Easy Snacks for yourself include hard-boiled eggs, mixed nuts or peanuts (small serving size!), low-fat string cheese and beef Jerky. If you prefer to bring a dish for everyone, try a vegetable platter with hummus or dip made with Greek yogurt, or a large Greek salad with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, and chicken breast. Everyone will appreciate your contribution, and you will have healthy food to munch on during the game. These are some other ideas for snacks. Stuffed mushrooms with extra lean ground turkey, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese Grilled chicken breast on skewers with roasted zucchini Meatballs with ground turkey and Italian seasoning Egg, spinach and ham bites baked in muffin cups Apple slices with Peanut Butter Cheese platter with grapes and nuts Pace Yourself A football game can last three or more hours. You will feel sick if you eat constantly during this time, even if you are eating healthy foods. Unfortunately, food will probably be offered the whole time. Your best bet is to pace yourself with a few snacks that fit into your weight loss surgery diet. For example, you could plan to have one small snack during each quarter of the game. That works out to about one snack per 45 or 60 minutes. Take a break during half-time to focus on the show and the commercials, and drink some Water. Move Like an Athlete Get some exercise in the morning or early afternoon before the game-starting coin toss. If you live somewhere with good enough weather, go for a brisk walk outdoors. If the weather is too extreme, go to the gym or do a short workout with hand weights at home. During the game, use the commercials as opportunities to get some light exercise. You don’t have to skip the famous advertisements; just be sure to move during them. When you keep moving during the game, you will be reminding yourself that you are working hard to lose weight. That gives you extra motivation to eat well! Do you have any other strategies for surviving Super Bowl Sunday? Talk about them at BariatricPal so that all of us can benefit, and let us know what you think about our tips. Enjoy the game! That is about it for this month’s newsletter. We hope you found it inspirational and informative, and we look forward to seeing you on the boards! Remember; feel free to contact us at any time with feedback, questions, and suggestions. Our members keep us going, and we love hearing from you! Take care of yourselves and each other.

It is interesting to hear about the issues some of you have had with scar tissue. I just had my sleeve and my doctor removed my scar tissue from my band prior to doing the sleeve. It made my surgery about an hour longer, but he did not mention that I would have any issues with restriction. I guess it depends on the doctor and how they operate. I was sleeved on 4/9/14 and I have plenty of restriction. It takes me about an hour to drink 8 oz of water and I can't even get through half a serving of yogurt before getting full. Already down 23 lbs (includes weight loss from week long pre-op diet). It goes to show that it's different surgeon to surgeon and patient to patient.

I am not using any protein shakes or liquid protein at the moment, though I do recommend checking out Isopure drinks (available at vitamin shops / GNC) if you're looking for an alternative to shakes. My surgeon does not support liquid protein drinks/shakes in general, though the nutritionist says to use them in a pinch if I'm not able to get protein in "the old fashioned way". So far, the old fashioned way hasn't been a problem for me. My surgeon starts us on pureed foods right after surgery. For me, that means the Vitamix is getting a serious workout. My current favorite protein sources are: homemade spicy chicken taco/burrito meat with salsa homemade chicken salad cheesy scrambled eggs refried beans greek yogurts of all flavors fortified chocolate milk (1C skim milk + 3T of powdered milk + 3T sugar-free Hershey's syrup = delicious!) PB2 (powdered peanut butter or powdered chocolate peanut butter) I will also run soups through the blender as well, though I am happier with more flavorful options above. Hope this helps!

First a food scale - I measure everything http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F3J9EGO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00 These little Disposable Containers - I use these to portion out things to take to work for lunch etc http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009VSFZBG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00 This mini Food Processor - Used it a lot in the pureed stage, still use it now for various things http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I0DV6W?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00 Propel Water Packets - Take these everywhere http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GEYS94?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00 Baby Spoons - Makes my yogurt fell like a giant meal lol http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BQEPH8Y?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00

Still doing relatively okay. No energy though. The clear liquid diet leaves a lot to be desired. Thankfully tomorrow I can start with protein shakes, yogurt and creamy strained soups. I think that I have finally gotten past the gas stage. Last night I didn't need and GasX or heating pad and only had 1 pillow. WOOT WOOT!!! Well, today is another day. Hope everyone else is doing well.

OMG! That is horrible care to send someone home two hours after surgery. How would they know if you can even hydrate, or get to the toilet!!! Plus my doctor does the barium swallow leak test just to be safe and see how it flows. Make sure you hydrate, sip all day. Do you at least have guidelines to follow? Do you know the food stages to progress through - when was your surgery? I saw where you drank regular Gatorade? No! Too much sugar, you should be on protein shakes - getting 60-80 grams of protein daily and no less than 64oz of water/broth. Then when you can tolerate it, pureed food - ricotta chesse, Greek yogurt, sugar free pudding, sugar free applesauce. It will take about 9 weeks to get to the texture of steak.

Have to start using protein powder a couple times a day by drinking or adding to yogurt. Does anyone have any favorites? That can be purchased at a store not on line.

Hi numby2017, I am just a bit ahead of you at 5 weeks today. At 10 days I was able to get alot of liquids, Soup and yogurt in. I thought the surgery was a fail. Now on soft food, I feel a pressure, that's when I know to stop or the food will come up. I rarely can eat more than a couple ounces of food and liquids are even going down slowly now. Surgery was a complete success, although, I have wicked head hunger. Good luck! Sent from my SM-G900T using the BariatricPal App

Is that the same as foamies? I had the foamies once......thick white foam on my tongue......I was early out and mixed some Protein powder with yogurt......and it was way too think for my healing sleeve........

Best of luck to you too!! Fat free Greek plain yogurt makes an awesome dip for veggies and it's good on a baked potato too!!' Hi, yes I'm five days away from my surgery date and I am very excited. I went today for my pre-admission testing and I learned that I'm the first surgery that day so I have to be there at 5:30 in the morning. My hubby is so excited he went out and brought slippers, a new bath robe, toiletries, comb, brush, etc. lol. I told him to calm down I am not taking all of those things with me. I'll probably not take anything but a comb and brush, my Dove soap, some lotion for my very dry skin because I won't be able to wear any to the hospital, my deordorant, toothbrush and toothpaste, a washcloth and towel. From my personal experience with hospitals and major surgery I will not need a bath robe or night gown because I will be wearing the gorgeous hospital gowns which are much easier to get around in with all of the iv's and catheter. I told the nurse to make a special notation on my chart that I want to be up out of the bed at least three hours after surgery. I know that the sooner I begin to move around the easier it will be for me in the long run. You have to move around as much as you can after surgery in an effort to lessen or completely remove an incidence of gas. I'm prepared mentally, physically, an demotionally for this change because I have so many plans for the rest of my life that being obeses will not allow me to see into fruition. Now that I've said a mouth full how are you doing? Our countdown begins!!!! :D :D

When I started my NUT (six visits!) I was tracking my calories already. Her main concern was my Protein intake. I would have instant sugar free oatmeal with blueberries for Breakfast, and she would always comment that I wasn't having protein intake for that meal. Now I have low fat Greek yogurt and blueberries for my breakfast. I also started eating a lot of fish and chicken for my lunch and dinner meals, and started eliminating unneeded carbs (breads, pastas, rolls... the stuff that adds useless calories.) I was able to keep my calories under 1000, while keeping the protein at 80 to 90 grams. My NUT, and the APRN who does my fills and follow up visits, both want to see a minimum amount of protein. My NUT showed me plastic samples of food, and told me to be aware of portion sizes (what a cup of something looks like.) But, I was never told to limit my portions, and my APRN told me not to worry if I was eating more than a cup of food at a meal. I assume if I have future fills that lead to intake restriction, I may have to reduce portions. The NUT said always to eat the protein portions first, and then fill on the veggies or other foods afterwards.

I agree that Zumba is fun and it's an added bonus that it's exercise! I like Dannon (Oikos) Greek yogurt. LOVE the Key Lime Pie flavor. The yogurt has 11 g protein, so that's a good way to start the day. I don't eat it until I have been at work for an hour or so. I just don't eat breakfast as soon as I get up, but I often have an Atkin's protein drink on my drive to work. (Cafe' Caramel) is my fave. I don't drink coffee but It's like my coffee in the morning, on my way to work. (actually made with coffee) and it's giving me 15g protein right there. I sometimes boil eggs earlier in the week so that I have several days worth, to take for breakfast. I usually make it into an egg salad. Easier to eat that way. Sometimes scrambled with a little bacon bits and low fat/fat free cheese. sometimes i put in minced celery to add a few veggies early on.

Stop the protein shakes and eat food. Liquid calories do not keep you full nor is it healthy this long after surgery to still be using protein shakes. Start by having a real breakfast even if its greek yogurt and a real lunch and real dinner.

I hear you on the not trusting yourself! I carefully weight out 13 grams of kashi go lean Cereal into a small plastic container and I bring that with me to work to mix in with my yogurt. I know if I kept the whole bag here at work and just "eyeballed" how much to add to the yogurt, it would slowly creep up to an unreasonable amount! Edit: Of course I only do that on my workout days. No cereal/granola on my rest days!

How much are you getting? I am getting just about 100 grams a day. I had to add in some carbs when I started doing Couch to 5k, so I put some granola in my afternoon greek yogurt now, since that's the last thing I eat before my workouts. Seems to have helped a little, but I avoid carbs the rest of the time.

My surgeon gave me one of the most lenient post-op regimes that I have read about in this forum and even his rules do not allow for fish after only 2 weeks. From the "consider my surgeon dead" comment, I can only assume that you've become disillusioned with your surgeon for whatever reason. I suspect it might be simply that you're hungry and spitting the dummy a little, as we Aussies say, but if you've seriously given up on your relationship with your surgeon already, let me urge you to find another and to FOLLOW HIS/HER ADVICE. In the mean time, this was my regime which, as I said, it about as quick progress through the stages as any doctor will recommend: First 4-7 days: Clear liquids only - teas, juices, consomme Soups, stock, jellies. Next 7-14 days: Thick liquids only - all above plus creamed soups (not chunky), yogurt, very watery porridge. At 3-4 weeks: Mushies - all of above plus soft scrambled eggs, chunky soups, porridge, mashed vegetables, very soft cooked fish At 4-5 weeks: Soft foods - all of above plus mashed tuna, casseroles, minced meat dishes (e.g. bolognaise), cooked veges. At 5-6 weeks: Normal foods. First fill for me was at 4 weeks and that's also very early compared to most others. Don't let frustration due to hunger cause you to damage your body and your band. There is a reason why the doctors don't want you on solid foods too early - it is to give the scar tissue around your band to form properly (without your stomach churning from digesting solid foods), seating the band properly in place. This prevents slippage later. Even though you might not feel the repercussions from eating too early now, it is a leading cause of slippage and you could well have problems in about a year's time if you stray from the path now.

I saw the dietitian today and I thought I might share the type of diet she is putting me on before and after. For those of you who like natural, not processed foods this is a good one. Before Breakfast 1.5dl of milk (2% is fine but 1% or skim is better) or 1 light yogurt 1 piece of bread about 25g (any type of wheat, or grains type as long as it isn't a cake type of bread) may have light cheese, fresh cheese, butter(1/2 tb), or a slice of ham/turkey/chicken to put on the bread (may toast if you like) (don't mix meat and cheese, choose either meat OR cheese) Mid morning snack 1 piece of fruit (medium sized apple, 8 strawberries, slice of melon etc.) 1/2 piece of bread or 4 crackers (saltine) (you must always eat a piece of bread or crackers after eating fruit. It helps absorb the fructose in the fruit before your body does.) lunch 2.5dl of vegetable Soup (see my thread on Portuguese vegetable Soups eggs 2 small potatoes or 3 soup spoons of rice or 3 soup spoons of Pasta (cooked) salad (as much as you like, olive oil and vinegar dressing or light low fat dressing) Mid afternoon snack 1 light yogurt 1 piece of fruit 1/2 piece of bread or 4 crackers dinner You can do a repeat of lunch here, or 1 bowl of soup (vegetable not chicken noodle or something) 1 bread or 4 crackers 1 slice of cheese, or fresh cheese, or ham or butter. Just before bed 2dl of milk or 1 light yogurt Conversions: 1 cup = 2.37dl 1 oz = 28.35g 1 fl oz = 29.6ml Drink Water, or tea, or fresh squeezed fruit juice. She said you can put sugar substitutes in the drinks. *no more then 2 eggs per week After 1º phase +-15/30 days liquids between 50 to 100ml for each meal Eat at least once every 2 hours Only eat things that go through a straw May eat any of the following: liquid yogurts (full fat), milk (2%), soups that contain no fibrous vegetables and that have been completely liquefied, natural fruit juices with no pulp, and 2 nutritional supplements called Fantomalk and Protifar (one is for carbs the other is protein) May NOT eat:sugar, any thing fibrous, anything solid 2º phase +-15 days Mushies +-100 ml for each meal Eat at least once ever 2 hours 3º phase +- 1 month solid food Chew VERY well Select food that you can tolerate well and don't force those foods that you cant. Pay attention to the quantity you can eat at each meal. Eat at least once every 2 hours 4º phase 2 to 3 months after surgery Solid foods Chew VERY well Eat at least once every 2 hours Introduce almost all of your normal foods (the types of food on the pre diet) Try not to at thing very fibrous or of a fibrous consistency Enjoy and message me if you have any questions or if something isn't clear.

Yesterday, was the big day!!! I tried to update my blog last night, but hit the wrong key and deleted my update. But, I am happy to say everything went great yesterday. :cool: I love my surgeon's assistant, Melissa, who did my fill. She took her time and explained the whole fill process and all the questions they will ask me each time to determine if I should get a fill. She said after this first appointment, I can decide when I want to come in again (anywhere from 2 weeks to 8 weeks). She also explained how important it is to focus on reducing percentage of body fat... that over the course of time it takes to get to goal, she wants me to go from 51% body fat to 30% body fat. I'm all for it! And, she cleared me to return to Jazzercise (which I have been dying to do - walking is so boring to me). I'm just not supposed to do the stomach crunches they do at the end of class until 8 weeks. That's OK, I am usually so worn out by the time we get to the floor work that I just lay there anyway when everyone else does the crunches. OK, so on w/the fill. They have a big chair in every one of the exam rooms and I didn't know until this appointment that they electronically adjust all the way back so you are lying down when they put the needle in. So, I got to lying down, she cleaned the area, and told me to look away while she put the needle in. It was quick and no big deal. She gave me 2cc and then sat me back up to drink some water. The water went down fine, so she put in another cc (for a total of 3cc in a Lapband APS 10cc capacity). I drank some water again and it felt a little weird like it was not going through as fast and I felt some little bubbles, but it did not hurt. She stopped there. She told me after that she can give 2, 3, or 4 on the first visit, but most people get 3. So, I guess that makes me average. Now, the hard part... I am supposed to be on clear liquids for 72 hours (but no juice or sugar). I am trying, but I'm not sure if I'm gonna make it that long. I already cheated a little and put a little soy milk and agave nectar in my decaf tea. I am drinking clear protein shots I got from Costco (25 grams of protein in a 3 oz tube - tastes like unset jello - 100 calories). I drink my broth or tea as my 'meal' and then the protein shot like a 'dessert'. Yeah, right, not sure how long I can last like this! :thumbup: I'm also just curious to see if I can feel any difference when I eat from the 3cc. I might try a yogurt later today if I can't get my mind off of food after lunch. I did discover an AMAZING broth I just had for lunch. It is made by 'College Inn' and is called 'Culinary Broth' in 'Thai Coconut Curry' flavor... chicken broth infused w/a blend of coconut, curry, garlic, and coriander flavors. It has a lot of sodium, though, so I cut it half-and-half w/low sodium vegetable broth. It has great flavor, though... just the right amount of spice. OK, I am probably becomming delusional at this point from lack of calories if I am raving about a broth.