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Eating anything hard is a task. I tried stew chicken and threw all night. I can stick with shakes, smoothies, yogurt,cottage cheese,tuna &chicken salad. My husband jokes that I eat like bird. It sometimes frustrating to have to eat so slow. But I know I can safely tolerate ONLY 2 .oz of solid tilipia.any suggestions I'm like 7 weeks out.

Hi! I had my surgery on December 8, 2014. My starting weight was 258 lbs and at my 2 week visit I was at 241 lbs. On Tuesday I'll weigh myself and see were am at. I really haven't started to workout yet, no energy yet. Am going to start to walk tomorrow and see how far I can go. Like some I'm finding getting enough liquids is very hard. Worried about going back to work on the 12th and how am I going to get enough liquids in when am always on the go. Thinking about getting a watch with a timer to go off every 15 minutes to remind me to stop and drink. So far am now lactose intolerant, which I wasn't before. I was a big milk fan. I had a bad reaction to cottage cheese but willing to try yogurt and cheese to see if I can tolerate them. I was told by the Dr. to look for lactaid free yogurt and cheese. Anybody having this issue too?

48 here, sleeved in late 2013. Had my last period last year so I get the whole menopause thing. BUT.... my personal experience (and all it is is that) is that the more carbs I eat, be they added sugar, bread, pasta... heck even fruit and yogurt... the hungrier I am. And yup, for sweets! New research is showing that we cultivate certain types of bacteria in our gut and when we crave sugar it’s to feed the type of bacteria that crave it. It you starve them out you are much better off! Though trial and error I have found my limits where I can get Fiber and such into my diet (some berries, half an apple, whole grain cereal) and Calcium (Greek yogurt w no sugar... I have parathyroid issues so Calcium is big for me)... without triggering the appetite/cravings. Also yeah exercise is key... and I get the energy thing... but there I will say again, for me personally, if I get out there and push past the “tired” next time I am less tired. Takes about a month consistently (I’ve had to come back after injuries laid me up) for the “let’s go” to outweigh the “tired.” I’m a runner (love saying that cuz I was NEVER an athlete pre op) and I run 25-30 miles most weeks. Some days I want to run, other days I’m dragging but so it anyway. And the draggy fades away after I get into it. So... yeah some docs will do a re-sleeve where they make it tighter. Conversion to bypass is an option with most as well. BUT really all it will do is give you that “honeymoon” window again. Which isn’t to say that’s a bad thing, but it won’t last either. It might give you an opportunity to make changes though. What do you eat now?

I don't know if these would be considered dumping: 1. I ate some yogurt with a spoonful of strawberry preserves that has a low sugar content. Fifteen minutes later, I felt nauseous with stomach cramping. I didn't have any other symptoms. 2. I had some cream of chicken and wild rice soup. About 30 minutes later, I had severe stomach pain that made me double over. So...I watch how much preserves I put in my yogurt, and I'll be staying away from rice for a while.

I, honestly, don't know how people do the full liquid diet pre-op. I thought my surgeon's diet was hard! My diet allowed 6-8oz of protein a day (either meat or yogurt, but not both), two 'healthy' fats (1/4 avocado or 1/4 cup of nuts), 1/2 cup of fruit, and all the veggies you want. I survived mostly off of a veggie soup I made. I basically lived off of it for two weeks and the two 1/4 cups of nuts I ate and the fruit and meat were like heaven lol. It was hard enough on that. But, I did lose 15 pounds on that diet and was told my liver looked great so, it worked. Just try to focus on the end goal, because the diet itself won't be fun...

Hi guys Homecare thanks for the well wishes. Bobobaldy thanks for letting me know what happens when you get to target. Wow you've done fantastic. I was given a fill last Thursday 0.5ml which brings me up to 6.0ml in a 7ml band. Boy is it tight!!! Having the dreaded reflux at night and have never had that before. Was eating a yogurt earlier and threw it back up. Even icecream came back up. Managing to eat a few of those Carrs Cheese Crackers and of course the odd Malteser is managing to stay down :thumbup: Hoping this won't last for too long otherwise I'll be back to see him for an aspiration. For the moment, Gaviscon and Rennies are my best friends!!

Lou, congrats! I'm sure you'd doing a great job. Men usually drop the weight faster, too. Kathy, I recently saw a post by you on a different topic. You're doing a great job! You had a longer journey to onderland, but you'll be there before you know it! I know I don't think of myself as "fat" anymore. I finally see myself as just overweight. I am not disgusted by what I see in the mirror (when clothed, at least) and I can't remember the last time I put myself down either verbally or mentally. I view these things as huge strides in the right direction. I still don't see myself as "skinny" or "thin" yet. I see myself as more normal, even though the BMI chart has me hanging out in obesity land. But I'm no longer morbidly obese, at least! I had twins three years ago and MY WORD the things those sweet babies did to my stomach. I'd be a full shirt and pant size smaller if not for the large band of twin skin around my middle. Yes, this excess skin and fat does still make me a little uncomfortable, though I'm a far more confident woman than I used to be. I still find myself shocked at how large I am when I lie down in the bathtub...when it all spreads out and I see the space I take up, I can't believe I'm 60 pounds lighter at all. The reflux is now just a part of my life. I sometimes forget to take my pill and don't immediately have the burning hell in my esophagus anymore, so I hope it will eventually go away. I eat very small portions, but sometimes I love to eat! I had the Ahi Carpaccio appetizer at Cheesecake Factory a while back (well, part of it, anyway) and actually enjoyed it enough to ooh and aah over my dinner. Amazing! The lactose intolerance is a little harder. I didn't expect it the way I expected the reflux. I miss cottage cheese and yogurt. But for the most part, it's not that bad and it's not too tough to avoid foods that will make me ill. It does limit my protein options, though. I am losing hair but I'm not seriously alarmed yet. I had a ton of hair on my head and losing a bit of it isn't hurting me so far. I enjoy shopping. I fit in almost everything I try on! It's the best part, I think! I'm down to 11/12-13/14 or L pants, and L shirts. It's pretty neat to be able to shop in any store. I've also gone down a shoe size. The "ladies" are very sad little ladies these days, but they fit in normal sizes again. I figure it's nothing a little surgery can't fix in the future and I don't worry too much about it. My main issue right now, and the one I'd love to hear feedback on, is that my husband and I are in disagreement about my goal weight. I picked the highest weight I could be and still have a normal BMI. I wanted to be able to have a doctor actually view me as a patient and stop telling me my weight is causing all of my problems. I wanted to be taken seriously. My husband likes short, chunky women. I am currently the size I was when we met. He's already mourning the loss of my butt and chest. He really wants me to stop losing in about 20 pounds or so. He's been incredibly supportive despite the fact that he never felt I needed to lose weight in the first place. He's a fit, active man himself but he loves curvy women. I'm actually insecure about the thought of losing too much weight. In most relationships, women wouldn't worry about this, but I'll have other men paying attention to me (it's already happening more now that I'm losing) and he'll be looking for the chubby women in the room! It's like the opposite of how I've felt during my marriage. I never worried my husband would cheat on me with some skinny blonde, because the man likes fat women! Any advice? Is anyone else dealing with this? I trust my husband, but I've always known he's very attracted to me. I'd hate that to change simply because of my weight. We're very open about what we find attractive, and not one time has my husband ever found a thin woman attractive. I will say that his idea of a pretty woman got larger as I got larger over the years though. I wonder if this will work in reverse, too? I have a fantastic marriage. I'd really hate to ignore his feelings about my body, the same way he'd make me crazy if he shaved his head knowing I hate it, but ultimately we both realize that it's my choice. Well, it's been a great five months for me. I'm losing slower than I like because it's been a stressful month and a half of traveling. But overall it's great and I was able to simply get back on track. I absolutely LOVE my sleeve. I cannot imagine regretting this surgery. I'm grateful for it every day. In those five weeks of completely stressed out travel (and we have a few months more of being displaced to look forward to, I think) I ate whatever I wanted...I gained about three pounds but maintained after that. I was able to jump back to protein first and I've dropped ten pounds in less than two weeks. My sleeve ROCKS. I want to hear how everyone else is doing now! ~Cheri

Hi there, banded on the 15th! I have 2 incisions, used a back massager for the gas pain, had a good post op visit, and have been moved from liquids to mushies. I've been feeling better each day. I am trying to figure out exactly how much mush food to eat. I ate too much yogurt and had an awful over-full feeling for a few hours. My incisions are healing nicely, but they are sore today.

Shhh...don't everybody talk at once! Seriously, ya'll are way too quiet! I'm just doin' my daily check in...hope everybody is doing well, and that ya'll have a great weekend! Tami 1/11 No exercise B: 1 c. Kashi Go Lean Crunch; 1/2 c. 1% milk; Coffee w/LF Creamora & S&L L: 3 oz. foil-pack chicken; 1 rice cake; 2 T. LF peanut butter D: Outback: 1/2 Caesar salad; 2 oz. or so tilapia; 2 bites steamed veggies S: NF, SF Yogurt

I am 4 days post op today. I am mostly having trouble with the gas. But I am only taking liquid extra strength tylenol because I do have 3 year old twins to help keep contained. My husband has been so supportive. He even stayed by my side overnight the first day while my mother watched my girls. I haven't stepped on a scale yet. I figure I might weigh more right now because of post-surgical internal swelling and gas/bloating. Once I left was put on a stage 2 diet but I am slowly steping into it with protein shakes, broth, and greek yogurt to reach the minimum 60 grams of protein daily. I do have some soreness around my ribcage and diaphragm. Luckily, my husband is taking care of the household along with my eldest daughter help until after my first post-surgical appointment on the 22nd. I am hoping ot be able to sleep in bed soon. I am a tummy sleeper so this is reeking havoc on my nocternal sleep patterns. Has anyone else had have issues staying awake throughout the day while only taking tylenol for pain? I feel like I am having nacroleptic episodes. One minute I am awake and alert and the next I am passed out for 20-30 minutes.

Introduce your new foods gradually so, if something doesn't sit well, you'll know what it was and be able to avoid it for a week or more. In my early weeks I was able to eat out, too, but soups were the extent of it. I could eat broccoli cheese soup and clam chowder, eating around the bigger chunks and chewing soft parts of broccoli carefully. It never bothered me. It takes a while for your insides to heal and the swelling can last several weeks or more. That's partly to blame for how easily you foods get 'stuck' in that time. Later you will be able to eat more variety. It's a major learning experience and everyone is different. Hang in there! It's Soooooo worth it! :-) Some good options to puree: refried beans, meatballs, pea soup, chili, soups. Good soft foods for pureed stage: Laughing Cow cheese, hummus, cottage cheese w/sf preserves, ricotta, sf pudding mixed w/chocolate whey protein, Greek yogurt, no sugar added applesauce, sf Carnation Instant Breakfast, protein shakes. Go to the website 'The World According to Egg Face' for protein shake recipes that are creative and delicious! :-)

Hello again! Since going back to work Monday, I have been too busy the too tired to post! Since the start of my liquid diet on the 1st, I've lost 18.2 lbs. 11 since surgery on the 8th. I feel like this is very slow. I have moved on to puréed foods like mashed potatoes, yogurt, sherbet, and most things I can get into the Cuisinart. I have had no food intolerances but have over-eaten (by 2 bites) twice. I ate too fast and by the time I realized, it was too late. It is soooooo uncomfortable. I'm much more careful now. I eat about 3-4 tablespoons before I'm full. Struggling to get in the protein and fluids even though I sip water all day. My belly is still pretty sore. I feel like I got hit with a baseball bat, particularly under my largest incision. Going back to the surgeon next week for a follow up. How's everyone's weight loss going?

Hi all! We are all hitting the 5 month point this month. Wow, how time flies! I've been doing well - weight loss has been very slow at times but then I went through a inexplicable time where I lost almost 12 lbs in 2 weeks after only losing 10 lbs total in the two months before. Then another 2 week stall. So, I just keep on doing what I am supposed to and hope the weight keeps coming off, even though it is more by "fits & starts" than any steady rate. The best part is that I overnight dropped from a 3x in plus sizes to an XL in ladies, which thrills me to no end! I had to haul a ton of clothes to Goodwill and go buy something that wouldn't fall off! I am also very happy that I don't seem to have any issues with any particular foods anymore. It was rough the first couple of months and I worried that I would never be able to eat meat, yogurt, cottage cheese, and a dozen other things. Now everything seems to go down fine, but that's also a bad thing or it could be. So far, I am still working very hard to eat healthy but I do understand I will have the potential to fall off the wagon if I don't make healthy my highest priority for the rest of my life. So, I am working NOW on any issues I have with food that could lead me to bad habits again. One of them in the past was the whole "all or nothing" mentality - that anything that tasted good had to be BAD and therefore I either would avoid it completely and feel deprived or I would eat it like it was my last time ever to have it on earth! Now, I am trying to find a really good balance of moderation that I can live with. My husband's birthday was this week and birthday cake always was a huge temptation for me in the past but I was very happy with a teeny sliver of it so I got a taste. I was pleased that I didn't have to deprive myself and feel resentful or eat a huge chunk and feel guilty - that there as a place in between that was healthy and satisfying and where I could feel really good about myself.

I slept last night too. I woke up took my BP medication ( crushed in a teaspoon of sugar free applesauce). Then I walked and drank some Water. I had 2 ounces of plain greek yogurt mixed with a teaspoon of sugarfree applesauce. It was great. I almost think the torture of doing thirty days of liquids beforehand makes this part easier. At least I don't have to drink a chocolate Protein Shake. Bleah. My hubby is running to the store to get bananas. I need potassium so I will have a banana vanilla smoothie for lunch. In the meantime my drain is still cranking out green stuff and the gas and gurgling is much better today. I swear I sounded like a truck driver last night. Lol

I think I over did it yesterday. I haven't been able to drink as much today. But I did have a quarter cup of yogurt that sat very well. But when I take a deep breath I get this dull pain that wasn't there before.

Hi Homecare, thanks re the footy looking forward to it but just hope this stitch doesnt play up?? it was bothering me the other day but yesterday and today nothing thankfully,it was probably due to me trying on new shoes/boots and clothes the day it started up so it must be down to all the twisitng and bending and the muscle not being fully healed yet. i am mainly sticking to my veggy soup,porridge, crispbreads,scrambled egg,yogurts,puddings,jellys but i did have a lovely chicken curry with boiled rice on sat as a treat(small portion) and it went down ok,also had tatties & mince which was fine so tonight i have some smoked haddock & veg to try.......will let u know how i get on!:wub: how are you getting on with the solid food? see yah:smile:

Hya chicks, Sammy I cant get hardly anything down, still, I dont feel so good atm, dont know if its the lack of food and water, cos I cant get much of either down. Damn headache, which is a sure sign of being dehydrated, I keep thinking that tomorrow it will loosen a bit, but if anything its getting tighter. Sammy how's your loss going hun? Bless the baby walking, how lovely, you will be running everywhere after him now, once they find their feet there's no stopping them. Gillian I know I'm over-filled, but it was fine after he did it, I swallowed yogurt and the water. It was the 5 hours or more drive home of sat in one position, being scared $hitless that made it so tight. Anyway thats enough about moi, glad you are at your sweetspot, well done!!! Christmas will be a buzz, with all you people so slim!!! Homecare!!! You have done so well, especially with your thyroid problem, well done. Flirtydrawers, are you bricking it or mostly excited? God I do so admire you, you will be a movie queen when you're done.

Thank you for the kind words. Wannabe, with me food has quit being an issue (!!!) amazingly. Instead of it being the treasure I want to dive into, it's become something to keep me from getting weak and dizzy. Even with only 4cc, I tend to be on the tighter restriction side. So, in the mornings I either only have coffee and maybe a small yogurt if I am hungry. Lunch is usually some salmon and dinner is whatever I make for the family. And it really has gotten to the point that I don't think THAT much about what I'm eating because I never eat enough for it to be terribly bad for me. I made ooey gooey lasagna last nice and it was good, but I only had a sliver. So, I stick to protein first and then a vegetable or something if I'm not full. My BIG weakness is ice cream, this is a new addiction. But, when I indulge, I will usually choose to have an ice cream cone INSTEAD of a meal.....poor nutrition I know but SO GOOD and I do it in moderation. That was a lot of words for no answer, huh? hahahahah

This is for all of you guys who had your surgery near mine. (january 19th) what are you eating now? I eat baby food for lunch, yogurts and peti filous, mashed potato.. soup and occasional mik shake (and I have developed a weird craving for bacos Bacos god knows why. Are any (or all) of you still following a soup only diet?

@@Kitty I also start my pre-op diet tomorrow. I am allowed 3 to 4 protein shakes a day and 64 ounces of clear liquids (which include sf popsicles and sf jello and low sodium broth) we aren't allowed the sf fudge popsicles or yogurt which is a bummer. I hope I can make it through the next two weeks..

I was also sleeved on 7/27. I'm on purées and I haven't had anything that's actually pureed. My favorite is tuna mixed with Miracle Whip and I add tiny tiny chopped pickles (no peel or seeds) and cheese. Last night and today I had baked salmon, not even close to a puree but my NUT said it was fine. It felt great to be chewing real delicious food! I also love refried Beans mixed with cheese and plain Greek yogurt.

I'll jump all over canned tuna but canned chicken isn't something I can go near. How are you with Greek yogurt ? There are so many flavors of that on the market that it'd offer lots of variety.

If you are near a kroger's, they have a carbmaster milk that has 11 grams of protein, also carbmaster brand yogurt there has alot of protein. I am 7 weeks post op and get all my protein in with food and one shake a day.

Somebody asked a similar question here: Here are the ones I purchased (I think I found all of these through ads on Facebook; none of these are referral links and I do not benefit in any way from them): IdealFit (IdealLean) (You can also buy individual sample size packets if you don't want this many) 1up Nutrition Northbound Nutrition Waves of Whey Strength (Unfortunately, the samples are 5 packs of the same flavor, so you'd have to buy 10 packs just to get both flavors) KetoShop (There are two different sample packs; I got the zero carb just because the flavors were more appealing to me) My favorite was IdealLean and that's my go-to brand now (I love the birthday cake flavor mixed into yogurt -- that makes for a great high-protein meal after surgery -- and the chocolate brownie is my favorite chocolate Protein shake). Once you start shopping for Protein Powder online, you'll start seeing ads for other protein powders. I've seen some appealing ones recently, but I'm all stocked up on protein powders so I'm not buying any more right now. You should look at the ingredients and nutrition info to make sure they meet your requirements. You might also want to try clear protein powders. IdealFit has some (including samples) and you can buy Syntrax Nectar samples in the BariatricPal store. They do not have the same thick texture as the shakes, so you may find them more palatable. I also recommend trying protein hot chocolate; I find it easier to drink than the cold shakes.

Split. Pea or Lentil soup is high protein. Cottage cheese, Vegetarian retried beans, Broccoli and Cauliflower mixed with broth for flavor. Gerber baby food, meats and vegetables only. Non-fat, sugar-free yogurt if it Has fruit in it make sure you use a blender.