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Today is my first day posting so forgive me if I don’t get the lexicon right the first time. Surgery Date: March 5, 2018 Starting Weight: 261 Surgery Day Weight: 250 Today’s Weight (Week 1): 241 I had a 90 day program working with a dietician and completing all of the pre-operative testing culminating in a 3 day liquid diet prior to surgery. The first day of the liquid diet was hard, but the excitement of my upcoming surgery made the other two days fairly easy. I arrived at the hospital last Monday morning at 5:45 am and was wheeled into surgery at 7:45 am. I don’t remember much of that first day but I was up and walking that afternoon and evening. I was sore and there was pain but it was managed with Roxycodone every 3-4 hours (as long as my blood pressure didn’t drop too low - overnight, I had to wait 6 hours between doses as my BP had dropped below 100 systolic. Day 2 at the hospital was filled with trying to get my fluids in and trying to get the gas out! The pain I was experiencing was mostly related to my abdomen being bloated with gas as a result of the laparoscopic procedure. I was successful on the former (sip, sip, sip!) but woefully unsuccessful on the latter. (In retrospect, I wish I would have walked more that second day.) I was released by noon on day 3 and recovered the rest of the week at home. Below are just a few things that I’ve learned. Please share some of the things you’ve learned as well wherever you are in your journey and let’s help set expectations and share great ideas! 1. When you begin your protein shakes, your bowels will start moving again! I called my Drs office panicked because I pooped! (A bit scary after not pooping for almost a week!) 2. For me, I was unable to lay on my side until Day 6 comfortably. I used a comfy recliner most nights which prevented me from trying to toss and turn from side to side (I’m a side sleeper) 3. Sugar free popsicles are great! 4. I don’t know if this will last, but my taste for broth has changed. Pre-surgery - and for my whole life - I have loved beef and chicken broth. But now, I can’t stand it. 5. You will get bored on the all liquid diet post op. Look for things you can combine. On my plan, I was allowed coffee. The protein shakes I found to be quite chalky in my mouth. On Day 5 I combined the two, using my flavored protein shake as a “creamer” to my coffee. It was warm and delicious and now the only way I get in my protein shake. 6. Listen to your pouch. The one thing you don’t want to do is pop the pouch. The staples need at least 3 weeks to fully heal so follow your surgeon/dietician’s program exactly. No cheating! Two tips my surgeon gave me - if you hiccup, you’ve overfilled - and if you want to clear your pouch sooner, stand up very straight for a few minutes to help facilitate drainage through the small intestine. 7. You will get tired easily - so push yourself but don’t overdo it. I started out walking throughout my house the first few days, up and down the stairs, went outside on Saturday and walked up and down the driveway, and finally went out to a few stores with my husband yesterday. I did okay at the grocery store until we went to check out. All of a sudden I was super tired. When we went to Home Depot to pick out a barn door, I found a chair to sit in while my husband picked up a few things before meeting me in the door section. I was ok walking back to the car but was tired the rest of the evening. Take it slow. Today starts Week 2 and I get to add applesauce, yogurt, mashed potatoes and oatmeal. It’s nice to have something warm and chewy in my mouth again. I will continue to post updates and invite all other March surgery dates to join. Thanks, Roxine

At three weeks I was allowed to add soft foods - scrambled egg (i could eat about 1/2 of it), Yogurt, Loose oatmeal, and loose mashed potatoes. It was nice to have something with texture after being on fluids for so long. What does your plan call for at 3 weeks?

One week left for me. I’ve struggled a little with the pre-op diet the last couple of days, mostly because I can’t stomach (still) protein shakes so I’m mostly eating yogurt, one egg and bone broth. I did cheat yesterday (I was soooo hungry) and now feel really guilty. Ugh.

One week post Bypass and I'm allowed to add eggs, hummus, cottage cheese, mashed beans and yogurt to my liquids. I ate an egg this morning. It was DELICIOUS. No problem. And I've been queasy in the past. Hope they go well for you!

This is my mixture: Muscle Milk Vanilla Creme Powder 2 scoops 3 spoon fulls of plain yogurt some kind of fruit 6 oz of milk and wala, it even keeps its consistency in the fridge changing the fruit changes the flavor.

The easiest things for me to get down are cottage cheese, SF pudding with Protein powder mixed in and yogurt. I can eat ONE scrambled egg and it's REALLY difficult to get down - a fried egg went down much easier (not sure why). Someone on this board suggested egg beaters because it's not as dense and goes down a lot easier.

Okay. Started out with a lot of pain in my chest and my feet were very swollen, thankfully 4th day the swelling went down and now for the most part the only pain I have is when I eat. Been on soft foods for two days and vegetables and fruits do not go down well. Yogurt has been the easiest.

Chicken Caesar is good but the chewing is essential. I think it will be long term with the chewing unless we are really stretching out that hole between the stomach and intestine. I get what you means that its weird and sometimes gross, but with the salad i dont feel like it is gross. I tried a piece of breakfast sausage this morning and could barely take it after a few bites. Never again. My favorites still remain -- retried beans and lean beef chili with pinto beans and Greek yogurt. I'm okay with this after trying new things and not enjoying them at all. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I've been on purees for 6 days now and I've yet to truly "puree" anything...it might help to think of it as a mushy food stage, in a way. I've been continuing a Protein shake a day (most days), greek yogurt, sugar free pudding, refried Beans with Laughing Cow cheeses, ricotta bake, oatmeal (yuck), grits, and very soft scrambled eggs (make with milk). So far I haven't been bored and it is SO much better than liquids! No one says you have to puree meat if you don't want to.

Hello everyone, I was sleeved on June 22, 2017 today my weight is 145.2, yesterday was my 1 year follow up apt with my surgeon weighing in at 146.6 I'm holding steady between 145 & 146 for the past month but i feel great just trying to enjoy my summer. I still drink my premier protein in the morning and afternoon anything else has to have a least 5 g of protein per for me to even consider to put in my mouth. I still have a hard time eating chicken, eggs no fruit and very little vegetables and i get sick if try to eat any type of cake or ice cream and yogurt i love as long as the sugar content is lower than 10 g. I have cut out all refind sugar and the carbs i eat if it's included with my protein which i try to keep no more than 50 g or less. Exercise 30 minutes a day walking and cardio 1 hour 3 to 4 time a week,

I had that issue, when I forced myself to eat, even a protein shake or something like yogurt and then a little more solid stuff my nausea stared to get better. It seemed like when I ate dinner, which was my only real solid food, it was the best I felt all day. I'm not saying you should do that but it worked for me, funny how it randomly came on on week 4 ish. Totally sucks but I'm zooming towards my goal. Getting close to halfway there!

magpie26 thanks!!! i went to doc today. They did in fact push me back to liquids and yogurt till I see then tuesday if nasaua is better, then I’ll move on again. they want to make sure there is nothing wrong he thinks it could be a combo of irritation stomach and I was talking to one of the girls who work there, she had it. She said I may not be eating enough and getting naseau from no food in stomach she said to get mint oil. I did. She said to put on my wrist. Also warm liquids over cold, and just to keep sipping protein shake. im gonna try that I have to be honest, I really havnt ate all that much oh, he also tailed back on vitamins, till Tuesday

That is what I've heard. My buddy did bypass there in Feb. And he said the same thing about nurses. Yes, I do add frozen pineapple, banana, cooked beet's, yogurt, not for the taste, but to feel full. Honestly I cheated all two weeks, I had some grilled chicken breast, few slices of corn beef. Nothing serious, but men, it is hard. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using the BariatricPal App

Hi. I just had my procedure on July 10 and have some good days and some challenging days. As each day goes by I am starting to feel better. There is some discomfort where I was cut but I am healing. I am definitely experimenting with what I can eat. My stomach can tolerate Greek yogurt but tuna fish did not go over so well. Best of luck to all that have had their surgery and upcoming surgeries.

Is your stage 3 pureed or soft foods? I actually bought a baby food maker. It was a life saver. But you don't need one, a blender works just fine! If it's pureed and you're craving something savory, you can put boiled or baked chicken in the blender, then mix it into 1/3 cup of the 98% fat-free cream of chicken. Two ounces of well-drained tuna with 2 tbsps of light mayo tastes really good, just be sure to over mix it so all the little chunks work themselves out. You can try canned chili and blend it even more than it already is. Canned beans can be mashed up and seasoned any way you like if you need to add fiber to your diet. For sweet foods, there's of course SF pudding, SF rice pudding, SF tapioca, low cal/low carb yogurt (Greek is the healthiest), and oatmeal sweetened with Stevia and cinnamon. I would make the oatmeal with water then add 3 tbsps of caramel-flavored whey protein shake (Premier Protein brand taste the best to me) that way, I was getting fiber and protein to make up for the high carb count. If your stage 3 is soft foods, you can try salmon or baked fish. For me the difference between pureed and soft foods was minimal because of what I liked to eat. Tuna is a staple for me. Except now I can eat it with some Quest cheddar crackers.

I found a good quality supermarket that did mini meals. I liked the minced meat and gravy topped with mashed potato. Fish pie and a mild minced meat curry and rice. There was plenty of protein in them. I also made a tummy friendly Moussaka with baked aubergine instead of fried. I make a lot of soup, big soup fans. Mushroom with added bacon, blitzed at the end with extra cheese and or a light cream. Pea soup or carrot, sweet potato and red lentil are also great because they are good and thick when blitzed and full of protein. As you can tell I had my surgery in our winter months and needed warming foods. I was allowed melba toast and cream cheese, pate or peanut butter. I had a ton of protein yogurts, soft scrambled and boiled egg, tuna mayo. Good luck with finding suitable foods, it is a bit of a head scratcher in the early days

tuna salad, egg salad, chicken salad. I used part mayo / part yogurt / or mashed avocado as a binder. I made some hearty soups /soft stews in my crock pot ( chicken and carrots, green beans, some white beans, tomato paste) and put them in small containers in the freezer (like the extra small ones that you can get at the market like 6 or 8 in a package). Those I could heat and eat at work. I would pack two "lunches" as I ate such a small amount - I needed two ! Also of course, yogurt, soft cheeses, melon, applesauce.

I'm 5 weeks out & my Dr wanted solids at 4 weeks so I've been working on it, but I'm struggling with what to eat. I've done tuna & other moist fish....sometimes successfully, sometimes not. Ground beef was a nightmare, my first attempt at chicken was last night & went ok. Sort of. Yesterday running around with my kids out of desperation I grabbed q tiny package of hummus with pita chips. I only ate a few of the chips but piled on the hummus for some protein. It went down soooo easily. It has been the easiest thing I've eaten since broth & yogurt. So I ate it again for dinner & snack. I ended up eating a ton of carbs! Yikes! So now I'm stumped. I have no clue where to go from here. I want to maximize my sleeve, but I don't know what to eat!!! I've thrown up multiple times daily since surgery other than a handful of days, so feeling full & not sick felt so good! Any suggestions on where to go from here?? I know the mushies stage was kind of carb heavy, but I don't want to get into any bad habits ..... Help!

I LOVE tofu egg salad!! It is better than real egg salad! The website hungry-girl.com has some great ideas!!! I like the fage greek yogurt- very creamy not runny. 60cal, 6carb no fat for 5oz I also like the tofu noodles shirataki they come in spaghetti and fettucini noodle shapes- 80cal no carbs. <TABLE borderColor=#ff0000 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=100></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD align=left>House Tofu Shirataki Noodle Shaped Tofu </TD></TR><TR><TD width=10></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

That is a GREAT coincidence!!! I can't believe how similar our surgeries are. As for advice, I guess I would say that I am a big planner. I spent the past few weeks leading up to my liquid diet being proactive. I first started subbing one meal (breakfast) for a protein shake and then eating two regular meals. After about 2 weeks of that, I started subbing 2 meals a day for a protein shake and switching my last meal to low carb. I was doing that for about 10 days and then shifted to my full liquid diet (with sugar free jello and/or 1 greek yogurt per day) fairly easily. I say do what you can. I got this advice from my surgeon (along with his nurse and also my nutritionist agreed): If you can make two of your meals per day a protein shake, then eat one meal low carb (only carbs from veggies). Try to make your protein lowfat. It will still accomplish the goal of shrinking your liver and you should drop a few pounds. Try to make your meal about 400 calories or less. That one meal plus the two protein shakes will still make your calories around 1000 or less for the day. I don't know if it will help you, but it has been a lifesaver for me. And if I absolutely cannot make it until the 11th (no food at all the day before surgery) without eating real food, I know I can eat something as long as it is pure lowcarb. Good luck to you on journey. I wish you the best. I hope you will keep in touch with your progress, because it will be nice to see someone who's so similar to me going through the same process.

Pure Protein makes a good vanilla cream shake pre-made - 120 cal 19 grms pt and low in carbs - I add 1/2 banana and some Peanut Butter in a blender and ice - It's to die for - and I really don't do Protein Shakes at this stage (3 yrs) I really use it for dessert - you can add what ever you like - I had the unjury when I 1st got banded - unflavored - added flavored sf yogurt and fruit - But to tell you the truth I like the pure protein pre-made ones the best - and I hate pt shakes - like I said when you doctor them up they are excellent - imho That was too much food too in a short period of time - you have to contimplate your stomach - you will feel a new diff full now - but your head will say - oh that's all you are you need more food - Don't listen to it - listen to your stomach you are suppose to eat 3 meals and my doc allows 2 healthy Snacks - So after you have had your planed food - no more - 30 min (or what ever your doc instructed) start drinking your Water.. Yep - no band for your head - I know you have been told - WLS is not the easy way out - even when you have good restriction.. It's still work..

Haven't had any fills yet, get first fill in a couple of weeks. I can pretty much eat anything I want, but have been limiting the amount. I eat mostly protein and then maybe some kind of vegetable. Protein keeps you feeling fuller longer. Sometimes a greek yogurt for snack. If I eat too much I get an uncomfortable feeling and also start hiccuping. I've heard it sometimes takes several fills before you feel restriction.

Ok, I got in a bit earlier for my second fill, yesterday 3/16, thank God....the hunger was getting pretty much. No portion control, and stall of weight loss, even with some exercise. So, now I feel a bit tight, having a bit of difficulty getting even the soft yogurt down. I am going to try to make it without calling the doc to unfill. I think after my stomach heals from the additional 1.7cc, I will be ok with eating again. Not hungry, mind is clear...no grazing, I think I will be fine and even might find my new total amt 6.4cc in my band, just might be the right amt for this month. Oh, got the Wii game.."Dancing with the stars" and love it. Time goes so fast when you are having fun. I have found myself sweating, that's a good thing. Patti with a smile:smile2:

I have a hot coffee on the way to work. At about 9 I have a Greek yogurt with half a scoop of protein powder mixed in, Plus flavorless fiber powder and Splendra. I also add about a third of a cup of high protein Kashi go lean.

I always use frozen fruit (I even freeze my orange juice in ice cube trays) and no ice. Ice reminds me of a Slurpee, no a healthy smoothie. I use: OJ, pineapple chunks, 1/2 banana, and a handful of frozen strawberries. Add in a carton of yogurt and with or without Protein powder - whalla!! ( or however you spell it!) My homemade smoothies make Jamba Juice look like a novice!