Search the Community

this is a great idea! way to be ahead of the game!! For this weeks meal prep I did: Breakfast Sausage "McGriddles": Macros: 257cal 8.4g fat Carbs 13g Protein 28g Fiber 2g Serving size 2 regular or 1 biggun! I dip mine in 1tbls of lite syrup. 1C of Kodiak protein pancake mix 1C of egg whites 1/4C reduced fat cheese 16oz of Jenni-o Turkey Sausage Makes 6 Big muffins or 12 regular size cupcake size Then I bought of fruit, so I washed and cut it up put them in zip lock gallon bags for our lunches Veggies: broccoli, carrots that are washed and cut up Chicken breast that I cooked: I have been making wraps for lunches and then I use it for dinners Yogurt bark: Dannon lite and fit strawberry cheesecake yogurt and fage 0% yogurt, sprinkled strawberries on top and 1/8C of granola; spread on parchment paper and put in the freezer for a couple of hours then I took it out and broke it up and its in the freezer. Cottage Cheese Brownies (THESE ARE AMAZING!): Macros 79cal Fat 4.1g Carbs 19g Net carbs 2g Protein 6g Makes 6 servings (I baked in a 8x8 pan but I will do these again in muffin tin) 3/4C cottage cheese (I used 2% good culture) 1 egg 80g of swerve sugar 1/2 tsp of instant espresso powder 1 dash of salt 45g of Cacao Bliss or raw cacao powder (not Hershey's) 40 Dark Chocolate chips (I used Lillys)

Low fat Cottage cheese -- you can jazz it up with different savoury or sweet seasonings -- a bit of cinnamon and splenda was a favourite of mine, but so was garlic, dill and a touch of salt. (And honestly, just black pepper was great. I missed pepper.) Refried beans or pureed kidney beans / chick peas. (Or hummus on a lazy day). I mixed my refried beans with a bit of enchilada sauce (choose one with no added sugar). It gave deconstructed bean burrito vibes. Pureed sweet potato instead of regular white potatoes. Again, you can make it a sweet dish with cinnamon, or turn it savoury with a bit of salt, garlic and black pepper. You can do the same with butternut squash. Add a little water / broth to make it a smoother consistency, and throw in a scoop or two of bone broth powder or unflavoured protein powder so you're still getting that protein in. Have you tried any strained or pureed soups? Particularly the cream-of-whatever soups, pureed chowders, etc. I also liked some of the protein soups at the bariatric pal store enough that I still used some of them as sauces 4mo out. The BP Bacon Cheese soup is good (but salty) and the Proti-Diet Chicken soup is not quite a cream soup but not a broth either. (It's salty too. Honestly, I feel like most powdered soups are/were too salty for my tastes but watering them down a little further usually works)

Yeah, I've never just drank a glass of milk, but I use it when I have cereal, with cooking and baking, when making smoothies and protein shakes. It's really good and gives way more vitamins and calcium than cow's milk. I use the unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

Hey everyone everyday is a Win..in the baratric world we know everyday we have to either get fluids in, eat enough protein etc, ...what is your win for today? My Win is being consistent on my bariatric journey and movement, I have made it a goal to move almost daily!

My doctor put me on 12 weeks! Not a typo. 12 weeks of protein shakes and broth. I have 10 weeks to go. The doctor will have their reasons for the diet so I guess it's just individual difference.

I had a really bad week last week nutritionally. I gained back about half the weight I lost in the last two weeks. I just didn't stick to the milk diet I'm supposed to be on. My surgery date is 7th of October and the bariatric doctor gave a diet he thought would be easy to follow so I can quickly lose weight before surgery. So protein shakes and chicken or beef broth and this is what I'm supposed to have for 12 weeks. Last week, I was sick, I was on my period and a little depressed so I went for comfort food. Starting to panic about trying to hit the weight target the doctor set for me, I thought I would try going to the gym. I've not been to a gym in years and I have memories of PE class and school bullies screaming back to me. But I went in. The staff member was great about showing me around, all the bulky gym buff types that I thought would be bullies because of every high school movie I ever saw didn't even look at me. I think I just assumed that being a fat person I would laughed at judged, but I was no different than anyone else. I was just there to work out just like they were. I was pleasantly surprised by the experience. Some of the equipment is intimidating and I have no idea what it does, but starting slowly, I think going in at least twice a week for now is a good starting point.

How are things going? Have you gotten back on track? Remember, prioritize protein first, then veggies, then healthy fats. Lower your carbs, cut down/cut out sugar and salt as much as you can. Same with soda and alcohol. Get plenty of fluids in (minimum of 64 fl oz). Move your body and exercise.

Yes I drink these they save me because I would never get my protein in otherwise.

I've heard/read of this before - so yes, some people do seem to develop lactose intolerance after weight loss surgery. You could try something like Fairlife milk. It's ultra processed although it has higher protein and less sugar than regular milk, and it's lactose free. There are other brands of lactose free milk on the market, too.

I have always been a whole milk user. I can't say drinker cause before surgery I would rarely drink milk. Since the surgery I have been using it to make my protein shakes and overnight oats. In the last week I have been having tummy issues after drinking my shake or having my oats. Has anybody else developed an issue with milk after surgery. Now I need to figure out what to use instead of whole milk for my shake and oats. I am hoping this will be an easy fix.

Thank you for replying -pawsalmighty . Hugs to you. I certainly do want to stop the rot before it takes me back to where I was. I cannot afford to go back. Life is so much harder to live when you feel trapped inside your own body. Even the basics like taking a shower or walking around to do the grocery shop was confronting every single day. Even now, here it is winter. I have never experienced such cold. I need to wear gloves over my hands but I would rather this than sweating on a mild day plas all the other garbage that comes with it. I have stopped focusing of protein and switched to chocolate but I need to do better. I like the fact that I have more strength where before I could only walk part three houses and I was done. My weight has been a life long issue. Richard Simmons passed away recently. I remember working out to his album in the 80's. I played the songs and my body remembered the exercises. I am not new to this game but the struggle continues. I suppose that is a little aside. What do you mean about genetic testing? How does this help to find the right anti depressant? Sounds so much better that the p'doc trying the hit and miss method with medications. Have many people found it to be helpful? I really do need to find a new way to set small goals. Not sure what they are yet. But I am going to see my doctor tomorrow. Hmmmm, Wish me luck.

I don't remember any specific food that gave me trouble. The advice I got was to try regular foods one at a time slowly so you can see how your body reacts. I have heard people say that they used to love food X but now it makes them sick or they lost their taste for it but that didn't happen to me. I had kind of a weird experience with salads an other raw vegetables - they went straight through me with hardly any digestion. Seriously, the toilet looked like I just overturned a bowl of salad into it. It didn't make me sick or anything, it was just strange. I was never a big salad eater to begin with but now I don't bother at all. During the thick liquids/soft solid stages I remember being frustrated at the limited options. I wasn't going to puree food in a blender or anything like that so I stuck to foods that were naturally the right texture. I ate a lot of scrambled eggs and yogurt during the soft solids stage. Two Good was my go-to brand of yogurt and I still eat it pretty often. It is low carb and they have several flavors. I'd also eat instant mashed potatoes thinned with broth or milks but that is a lot of carbs so maybe wasn't the best idea. I ate mostly soup during the thick liquids stage. Any cream of _____ soup should work OK. If there are chunks of meat or vegetables in it, you can strain them out. Split pea and tomato soup work too although I have never liked tomato soup. You can thin them with extra broth if it is too thick and strain or puree if it includes pieces of solid food. You'll feel a lot of restriction immediately after your surgery. The difference between feeling comfortably full and ready to vomit can be just one bite. You'll get a feel for it but you may mess up a couple times before that. The restriction lessens with time but I still cannot eat anywhere near as much as I could before the surgery. Sometime I catch myself thinking that I could eat a normal sized portion of food but I end up stopping 1/3-1/2 of the way through.

I don't know all the brands you have in the US but I have used BFree gluten free high protein wraps. Each wrap is only 3.5g carbs and 11g protein but you'll only manage small portions of each wrap so the carbs from the wrap itself will be negligible.

If you don't like to cook how about some (low salt) deli meat rolled with mashed avacado and anything else you want to add in there so a meat wrap with on actual wrap/bread? You could make your own simple quiche - tortilla protein wrap as a the base in baking tin, add in three eggs, a cup of cottage cheese, salt & peper- mix and then add your toppings of your choice such as spinach, green beans, peppers, tomatoes, can top with mozzarella then if you like. Oven bake until golden.

Thank you all so much!!! I'm definitely taking note of all of this. I've gone shopping and added more fats and a little higher carbs to my diet. I'm at around 1300 calories per day on average, but I'm working on upping the fats and carbs a bit. I'm also looking to keep my protein at around 100g per day if it's at all possible. Not sure about increasing the sugar and salt intake too much. I HAVE had to start using a little bit of Himalayan salt because my bp has been running super low since my hysterectomy (it's been 3 months and it stays around 97/50, sometimes a little lower) and we're trying to get it to come up. Last time I went to the doctor for my 12 week post op appt it was 88/51, so not having a lot of luck there just yet. I don't like the taste of salt anymore, so adding it to nearly everything is tough, but I'm working on it. Thanks again for all of the suggestions!!! OH, and the potatoes are going to be tried tonight. I'm hoping the carbs won't make me sick. And I can't do any kind of cow's milk at all because I'm severely lactose intolerant, so I use almond milk and non dairy cheese and nutritional yeast. Should I be looking at muscle building exercises, and if so, which ones do you recommend? Maybe I should try to bulk up just a little......

You want to do whatever possible now before regain happens. Go back to the basics. Make sure you are eating high protein, low carb! Use a calorie counter for a few days and see what you are generally taking in. I had a bypass in August of 2002. I ended up at one point due to mental health struggles going back to eating badly and regained about 100lbs, not all I had lost but most. One day I had just had it and changed my diet and did walking daily until I could power walk and complete 5k at a time which was huge for me. I haven't medically been able to work or go on walks this summer and I miss it. It helps my mental wellbeing to be out in nature with my favorite tunes. Setting small goals helps me the best. Then I feel good when I can meet them and am encouraged to make a new one. Virtual 5k programs really motivate me. Find what motivates you! I'm sorry you are struggling with bad depression. I've been there until I did a genetic test and found only 1 antidepressants works for me after decades of trying new ones, some obscure one was the winner. I feel so much better and way less SI. I don't know if this is allowed but you are welcome to add me somewhere if you would be interested. My heart goes out to you. I'm very non judgemental and open minded! I hope you have the best day you can! -pawsalmighty

When I was trying to slow my weight loss I was snacking 5 x a day. I felt like I was eating all day long. In time my meal sizes got a little larger though I still snack 3-4 x a day to get the calories in. Peanut paste, nuts, protein bar, string cheese, yoghurt. baked fava beans or chick peas, half an apple, small bunch of grapes, & my left over rolled oats, yoghurt & dried cranberry breakfast are all snack options. I’m a full fat milk & full fat salad dressing girl too. No low fat foods in my kitchen (in many cases it’s high sugar &/or high salt to compensate for the low fat). I wouldn’t get worried yet. Yes there is the bounce back many experience to keep in mind. Your remaining fat will resettle and changes your body shape & you’ll look less gaunt especially in the face. Much like we tell people while they’re losing not to worry about the number on the scales too much, the same is true now while things are stabilising. Though you say you look bony & too skinny how much of this is body dysmorphia & you’re not really seeing yourself? Are you too skinny or is it too skinny in comparison to how big you were before? Are you really seeing bones sticking out or just seeing some shadowing of bones or feeling bones which you’ve never seen or felt before or have forgotten? It takes time to really see yourself after weight loss. Our brains can really twist our thinking.

I'm a bit envious of your ability to purge your pantry! I share a home with my fella and my Mom, who I'm taking care of, so I just have to soldier through and think of what negative consequences would come from me eating the wrong thing. It has been interesting this week seeing them 'figure out meals' without my participation. I still cooked twice for them, the first time I made a big platter of stuffed peppers which wasn't TOO difficult to smell on day one but man, as the week went on smelling it be reheated was rough. The second time I cooked them salmon, broccoli, and rice. I DID break down and eat like two tiny bites of the salmon. I think my body will be forgiving of that tiny lapse - it was after all lean protein. I almost wish I'd done two weeks of this diet to make extra sure I was ready enough for the surgeon but I AM following the diet as I was told to. Granted, the last several months I didn't *exactly* eat the greatest but I did stay on track with my allotted calories for the day, which they had set at 1600. I admit that I did eat more fried food than I was 'supposed to'. It's been hard, honestly, losing my ability to turn to food for comfort, not turning to cigarettes for anxiety / comfort, bouncing around emotionally while I adjusted to taking the Chantix, and also - hadn't mentioned this previously, but I WAS drinking far more alcohol than I should have been up until about 4 months ago. That's another reason I took the extra month's delay when I shifted surgery types gracefully. You seem to REALLY have your stuff in order! Oh - the nail polish - Honestly, the nurse in my closing seminar seemed to be very 'no-polish' strict but when I went to my pre-surgery check-in at the hospital I asked about it and they glanced at my short nails and said they were fine. I was nervous about that, because I keep mine maintained due to my anxiety issues - I used to have trouble not scratching at wounds, biting my nails, etc - but they said as long as my nails were short enough to get the finger monitor on and I didn't have any gems or super dark colors it would be fine. I just went and got my nails done on Thursday and chose super light, neutral colors so you really have to look closely to notice that they have a little shimmer to them and had them done very short. I appreciate that they worry about risk of infection; I've always been super neurotic about looking under my nails for dirt, scrubbing them, etc so I think they will be fine. If I say that often enough everything WILL be fine, right? Lol -- I can't wait to get past Monday!

I added my measuring tape to the collection of items I'm gathering for the hospital when I read your post! It IS getting really close and I'm definitely feeling it. I did get pretty moody a couple of times this week, honestly. I don't know why, because I didn't really feel hungry but I did feel very reactionary and super sensitive. In fact, I was (and still am a little.. ) worried that it was PMS because I read that women who swiftly go on the type of liquid low carb / no sugar diet can have a change in their cycle. My brain immediately went "Oh Noooooo what if I have to deal with cramps on surgery day?!" So far I'm just crossing my fingers against that being the case, and hoping my body at LEAST waits a week! It feels surreal for me because I haven't been apart from my fella hardly at all in the two years we've been together and I realized tonight is the last night for a few days that I'll get to sleep beside him. Because of travel and work he isn't going to be with me at the hospital but my Mom and good friend will. It's Saturday night and I'm scheduled to be at the hospital around 5am Monday! I head out of town tomorrow evening. I'm holding strong on not smoking and plan to do my very best to maintain that post-op! I've already noticed, from not smoking and from the diet, my taste buds changing. The drink mix I used to really enjoy (A cheap one, surprisingly, zero sugar Hydrate in Grape flavor sold at Dollar General for like 1.20/6 flavor packs) now tastes kinda gunky. I'm not sure if it is because of all the shakes or just the lack of sugar/carbs. I find myself rinsing my mouth out a lot, especially after the shakes, and even though I'm drinking a lot of water my throat still feels dry from time to time, especially at night. I've started drinking my water plain or with a little lemon in it, which is especially nice when I drink it hot. I don't enjoy my coffee sweet or creamy anymore, either - it feels like 'too much'. Not that I have more than one cup, max, of caffeinated coffee per day - I even purchased a 3 in one coffee pot that takes loose leaf tea, pods, and regular coffee for the sake of my Mom and fella. I'm not entirely surprised at the change in taste buds seeing as when I quit drinking soda and would take a sip after a long time it would taste awful (especially any kind of dark colored soda). Oh - and to follow up on the Colace; I do think my doctor's office made me start the colace with my liquid diet BECAUSE of all the protein, especially in the shakes. I'm pretty sure those do slow your digestion; I've actually found myself taking an extra allowed laxative just because I want to be sure they have as much space to operate as possible and I feel like I've remained borderline constipated. My friend said that she didn't have a BM until 4 days post-op and they were concerned about that. I keep editing this post realizing I forgot to add things -- I SO feel you on the use of public restrooms! I've always done pretty well to avoid having to go #2 at public places and what you described happening - noise, smell, makes me nervous. That's really the ONLY side effect of the SADI that I'm a little concerned about. So far I'm telling myself that since I've been running on the side of constipated it should be ok, especially if I am mindful with my diet. It was really cool to see a post here from someone 4 years post-SADI! That was very reassuring, about being able to eventually eat most of the same foods, but in moderation and in much smaller portions. This might be my last update prior to surgery as tomorrow I plan to do last minute laundry and triple check my instructions, but I'll definitely be checking in as soon as I feel up to it to tell everyone how it went! How exciting is it to see this thread starting to pop with activity?! I feel SO lucky to have found this place and be receiving so many tips and insights from others who have / are going through the same things! Best wishes to all, we got this!!

I’m sensitive to carbs (dumping) and totally lactose intolerant. I can eat potatoes if there’s protein with it, but it can still backfire on me. I agree with Ms. Sss. I feel better with one once of walnut, almonds, or avocado, basically a healthy fat mixed with blueberries or whatever else you want. (I need to measure one ounce fruit but you know yourself better). I tried healthy fats to add some calories and now they help me maintain. I have to measure it because the 3 year rebound is upon me. You do you. Other later night fat snack ideas are one teaspoon peanut butter, or one teaspoon of liquid omega3 orange syrup from Vitamin Shop, or one ounce of real Vermont cheddar cheese. Hard aged cheeses are basically lactose free.

This is awesome, thanks!!! Yeah, I've been low carb for so long that my body just doesn't tolerate them anymore. But I'll look into keeping my protein up and adding in more fats. I've been keeping my fats at 40-50 per day, but I'm going to look into doubling that and see how it goes. I actually really like pork rinds, so I'm going to grab some for snacks. I didn't even think of those!!! I will slowly try to bring my carbs up to around 50 per day if I can, but it was easier when I was working out 5 days per week. Now that I'm not, it's a lot harder to do. But I'm going to work on that, as well. Thanks!!

i know this may sound too simple, but really, you just have to eat more. If not in volume, then in calories. it doesn't have to be carbs if you can't tolerate them, but it can be fats. there are 9 calories per gram of fat..more than double the amount of calories per gram of either protein or carbohydrates. avocados (240 cals for just one medium one). macadamia nuts (204 cals for 1 oz)...if you don't like nuts, try the nut butter version. "super' full fat greek yogurt i.e., 9% M.F. (200 cals for 3/4 cup) and my personal favourite and go-to high calorie/low volume snack: chicharron! (i.e., pork rinds): 150 cals for 1oz, 9g protein, 5g fat, ZERO carbs. p.s. also, eating so little carbohydrates is probably contributing to what you say you are not liking about your appearance (i.e., looking too skinny or gaunt). most people find that re-introducing (a "normal" amount of) carbohydrates into their diets after a long hiatus rounds out their appearance again and reduces that gaunt look.

So as you can see, I'm well below my goal weight. I'm not super excited about it because I'm looking really boney and too skinny. I'm normally getting 70-90g of protein per day, but I can only work out on weekends because I work all week and don't get home until 6 or 6:30 at night. I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks normally, although for the last 3 weeks I've added another snack in there. I started adding a protein shake in with my lunch because that's usually my lightest meal of the day, and I want to make sure I'm hitting my protein goals for the day. But it looks like I'm losing muscle, and I REALLY don't like that. I tried reaching out to my nutritionist and she said to add more carbs, but I'm SUPER sensitive to them, and if I eat too many, I get really sick. I can push it to about 35-40 per day, but after that, I get HELLA sick. So I've been trying to load up more on my protein and increase to 80-100g per day, but I'm STILL dropping weight and STILL looking boney and too skinny. Not only that, but I feel like I'm losing strength. I'm REALLY upset by this. Anyone have any suggestions on how I can reverse this???? I'm starting to look and feel sickly, and I don't like it at all.

I actually had virgin sleeve/SADI surgery nearly 4 years ago now. I don't think SADI is an option for the "my surgery" part of the profile on this site so I listed DS as the closest. Honestly, I had a pretty easy surgery and recovery. Of course there is soreness and healing like there would be with any other surgery but I felt well enough to go back to (extremely sedentary) work in a week. Really, the worst thing for me was a sore throat from being intubated. My doctors gave me a three week eating plan to follow one week each of clear liquids, any liquids, soft solids before eating a regular diet. I followed this faithfully even though I felt like I could eat more and was a little hungry at times. Now, I eat pretty much exactly the same things that I ate before surgery, just smaller amounts. If I have a lot of sugar or simple carbohydrates, I will get gas and loose stools. It's not painful though, it's just . . . happening. Still, I usually try to avoid it but treat myself now and then. My iron got very low about two years out from surgery. I was getting lightheaded and they ran some labs to find out my iron/hemoglobin was tanking. I had to get a series of IV infusions and then take extra iron supplements. Almost two years after that now and I am able to keep my levels in the low-normal range with just the supplements. I take three doses of an adult multivitamin per day, no special bariatric formula (don't tell the admins!). Be prepared to explain your surgery to any non-bariatric doctors you deal with. Unless they are bariatric specialists, they will NOT be familiar with the different kinds of surgery and they will likely have no idea what SADI is. A lot of them generically call any weight loss surgery "bypass" (e.g. the hematologist I see for my iron tests). Get a big plastic tote and put it on the floor of your closet. When a piece of clothing is too big, take it off, put it in the tote, and don't think about it again. When the tote is full, bring it to your local women's shelter or similar. If you can, get one new piece of clothing for every two you put in the tote. Build your new wardrobe thoughtfully. My only regret is that I didn't do it 15 years earlier.

@Hiddenroses you are getting sooooo close. Hows the preop diet going? Bitten anyone’s head off yet? I’ve lost my temper a couple of times. Ticked off one worker so bad that when I called back to ask another question they must’ve seen me on the caller I’D and kept putting me back on hold for over an hour. Oopsie 🙊 I would’ve tried to explain but I figured unless they were in this boat they really wouldn’t get it anyways. Luckily I was home just purging my pantry from stuff I shouldn’t have around anyways so i just put it on speaker phone and listened to the hold music until they finally picked up. i am not sure if I mentioned that I am having lunch with a friend tomorrow at a steakhouse. I am still allowed one meal a day of lean meat and veggies till Monday. Then it’s all liquids. I called the office to make sure it was okay to do the shake for dinner instead and they said no biggie. I’m sure my friend will order exactly what I would rather have so it’s going to be a bit of torture but I figure I may as well get used to it since choosing the healthier option while others are living their non diet lives is going to be my new normal. I am officially done cleaning out the fridge, freezer and Pantry ridding it if all temptation. I just remembered that I do have some stuff stashed in the cabinet above the microwave though. Mostly nuts and salad toppings and stuff that are okay to have around but may expired before I can actually eat them so I may as well give them away too. I also deep cleaned all the floors since it will be a while before I can do that again and i plan to do all my bedding and the bathrooms on the day before so they are as sanitary as possible when I get home. I think I may actually be ahead of schedule and have the day Sunday to relax. I’ve got a lot of calls to make Monday and Tuesday will be all about last minute stuff before surgery but Sunday I think I will do something fun. A pedicure maybe. I could really use one. Without polish I guess. Did they tell you no polish? They used to always say that but I don’t think she did this time. She said nothing on your body or hair but didn’t say to remove nail polish. Guess I will go with clear just to be safe. Anyways, I hope that you are doing well and that you are organized and relaxing a bit yourself this weekend. Good luck Monday.