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Hi sounds like we are on the same path. Glad to hear everything is going well with you too. I just got back from my post op appointment. Surgery was August 11th so a day over the 1 week mark. Pain has been tolerable, vomiting stopped the first couple of days, and getting Water in hasn't been as much of a chore. My surgeon and his assistant examined my incisions and answered questions. They want me to start more than just walking and add treadmill, elliptical, or cardio exercises. I haven't heard or read anything about "boogie size" - what is that? I have 4 incisions and the one on my left side has the most discomfort however they told me today my stomach was removed out of the middle and the left is just where the pain is felt. I can get up and down with some discomfort especially by the end of a long day. Same for me swelling will be fully down in another week or so. I guess they do phases differently. I like you have been reading everything possible. I was never given a week 1 diet just verbally told Clear liquids broth Jello etc. I had incorporated premier Protein shakes on my own because I saw most people had incorporated by week one and I know my NUT mentioned it to me at some point. Apparently I was NOT supposed to start until the second week but because I tolerated it I was ok. I will be on my stage 2 for about two weeks. I am able to take all pills as needed and the only Vitamin should be my Multivitamin. I use Flinstones chewable but was cleared to start the gummy- yay! Mine must be conservative as well because I am not allowed soft or puréed foods. I am allowed ONE "food" a day and must have 2 Protein Shakes a day. My foods include: soups- low fat- no meat rice no Pasta and blended, SF pudding, LF yogurt, LF cottage cheese, oatmeal, cream of what, farina, home made mashed potatoes (chicken broth, fat free milk, smart balance) and baby food. Mine was OK with soup but again only allowed one meal a day... I found on Amazon this brand called "proti" which my NUT said was okay they had tomato, cream Soups, and oatmeal with 30g of protein. She approved all for this stage (contradicts diet but whatever) I am scheduled for my lab work as well and they want me back in two weeks. September 12th. That was my experience - I know we should follow what our own doctor says but it's just difficult when I know that my doctor and NUT are giving me the same plan as other patients while yours is giving your plan to his other patients they are not specialized to just us. So to me if there is something in your second step that works why can't I try it? Maybe I'm just cranky from my week of liquids but I'm a little indifferent after my first appointment. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Cleveland Clinic policy is make the appt as close to 10 days as possible. Today was Day 9 post op. All is going well, I've not vomited, or been nauseous (outside the first couple of days). Fellow surgeon (who actually was with my surgeon doing the surgery did my exam today). I liked him so was happy he did my follow up. I did ask about my new stomach size and got an education in the Bougie size. I had no idea and had never ever seen this mentioned in the gazillion of documents and blogs I've read. Anyway, mine is a 35 and said to be standard at Centers of Excellence. We discussed why I have 8 incisions. I learned typically they are either 5 or 7 and either works fine, just the surgeons preference. So why did I have 8 and he had to examine my tummy to make sure I was accurate. So the one all the way to my right, I did lose the steri strip and it does seem bruised. He said, that when they were trying to use the tool to reach the stomach it was a stretch, so they cut closer. Seriously not a biggie, but I'm surprized they didn't have a more accurate measurement in placement. My progress is good, able to move about and other physical stuff doing well. Can pull myself up and down without discomfort. My tummy still very swollen, he said can take 2 to 3 weeks to return to normal. He believes I will see it back by next week. The Nutritionist came in. I cannot start Phase III before Sunday or 12 days post op. However, today I can start plain yogurt, cottage cheese. I must continue my shakes in between meals during Phase III. Also I cannot start my Vitamins until next Friday (that will be 16 days post op). I pulled out all my vitamins that were listed in my handbook that I bought. She picked up the Multi Vitamin PatchMD and said that will be all I need for now as it encompasses all the vitamins I need. They will check my lab work and discuss any changes at my 2 month post op. WHAT?????????? You have no idea how many different vitamins I purchased. She said, the clinic does not have any history with the Patches, but those patients that use them have had good labs, so they are okay with patients who want to use them. Just leave them on 12 hours. My NUT is extremely conservative, I knew that from the get go. So Sunday I can start on Soft/Pureed High Protein Foods. But there is definitely restrictions. I asked about some of the recipes I have seen that included some vegies, or potatoes, etc. ABSOLUTELY NOT. Not for 2 months. AND, she is really anti-Soup. The soup nazi for sure. She believes they are totally unwanted fillers that bring little to no nutrients I need now. Only spices. Well, I thought I'd share my experience as I know we all love to compare what to expect. They also gave me my lab order for next time, plus a very cute sturdy business credit card size card that on front says: Cleveland Clinic Florida, Bariatric Institute (the doctors name/title, address, phone number). On the back bottom (I am to put my name). Has had abdominal surgery and must eat very small meals of about one-half cup of food. Please allow our patient to order small portions or from the child's menu. Thank you.

This is a really important and a key to being successful both pre-op and post-op. I try to make something on a Sunday to bring to work for lunches. This week I made chicken (actually in the crock pot so I didn't have to turn on oven in this heat) and had chicken breast with frozen broccoli side one day and chicken salad two other days. Today I didn't have much to bring so I just grabbed a can of black Beans - (sometimes I'll grab a can of tuna and a tomato) - which will stop me from running out at lunch to grab something fast (and carb loaded). I was taking yogurt for Breakfast but my body has had enough - can't gag it down right now - so I have been bringing a premier Protein shake instead.

Crissy they have a great bariatric surgeon just north of you in boise Idaho at St Lukes Hospital. Dr Jim Valentine . He is excellent . I will bet he will help you. Boise Idaho. Look him up you have nothing to lose at this point. And just eat Activia yogurt to get the good bacteria growing in your system . I had issues like this and it caused extensive stomach acid. I was told the high acid killed all the good bacteria in my stomach. Once I ate yogurt for a week it cleared up. With lots of liquids I might add. Broths and such and Soups with low acid content. Sorry you are going through this . Good luck and you will be in my prayers. My name is Moose lol. Now I am a mini Moose ???? Sent from my SM-G935V using the BariatricPal App

Well, I bought a ton of liquid stuff before the surgery. But my hospital pulled a fast one on me and told me that my stay would only cost $150. I only get paid $640 every 2 weeks. Well, when I arrived at the hospital, I found out it was actually going to cost me $350. I had no choice but to give it to them. That left me with only $70 because the rest went to bills. So I bought nothing but liquid to last me for a week. Protein drinks are not very cheap (they are about $8.00 for a pack of 4). I bought 3 packs which cost me about $25 plus tax). The rest went to broth and medication. I now only have $7.56 in my account and I don't get paid until tomorrow. So, it was impossible for me to buy anything else. Once I get paid, I am going to buy soup and eggs and more protein drinks. Greek yogurt is pretty inexpensive, especially if you buy it by the larger container. Do you have a store like Aldi nearby? They are pretty inexpensive.

I eat deli turkey (2 oz) wrapped around a piece of low-fat cheddar and fruit (usually 1/4 cup blackberries and 1/4 cup blueberries but sometimes some apple slices). If I have time (and depending on my food plans for the day), I add a piece of whole grain toast. Every once in a while I will try the yogurt, but I seem to be not as satisfied, so it is not my usual go to. Depending on how early I eat that day, I will have a Premier Protein for a morning snack (a couple of hours after breakfast).

I was sleeved on 6/14 and I have tried vegetarian hamburgers and meatballs because they are high in protein. Also premier protein has a new Carmel flavor and I like it in my decaffeinated coffee as a creamer and sweetner. I also drink skim milk, eat lean deli meat chipped, cottage cheese and Greek yogurt.

I find if I eat anything sweet I stall out. I had been having 1 scoop of frozen yogurt at night, wondered why I wasn't losing either. I think I saw someone wrote they stalled when they cheated. So I stopped eating anything I shouldn't be eating and went back to 2 shakes "Unjury" a day. I also keep my food intake down to protien and veggies. Had been also eating a lot of fruits. When I stopped that I started back up losing the weight!

I make smoothies from baby spinach, plain non-fat Greek yogurt, crushed pineapple in its own juice, banana, almond milk, & a little protein powder. YUM!

eggs and yogurt were the first things I ate. I also ate pudding (add Protein powder) and apple sauce. I added in refried Beans too, but the first time I had trouble with them. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

This is the part of the food plan that I truly struggled with. I started with yogurt, applesauce, pureed turkey and chicken, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, eggs, tuna...... I found very quickly that eggs were an absolute NO and still are for me. I also found that my pouch could not originally tolerate chicken or turkey even in a pureed stage and I am alergic to legumes and Beans with the exception of green beans. So, for those 2 weeks, I lived on Protein shakes, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, pureed veggies with Protein Powder added, and ricotta cheese. I also leveraged creamed soups, broth and everything else in the full liquid diet. The good news is, it gave my tummy a full solid 4 weeks with the liquid phases for my tummy to heal before I started on soft foods. Once I started on soft foods, very moist chicken breast, fish or any kind were the Proteins that worked best for me. I could not deal with ground meats until 8 weeks post op and then I was able to tolerate beef tenderloin. YUM!!! Of course only an ounce or two at most. Even now if I get 3 ounces of dense protein I am lucky. I have a big restriction so therefore I still have one shake in the am, 23 months post op. As you said, this experience is different for everyone, as you get started if you begin to have a lot of trouble don't be afraid to go back to the previous stage for another week to allow your tummy to heal better. Many of us have to do that. Best of luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Get some cottage cheese or Greek yogurt or Protein drinks or, what used to do is get Chinese dishes with no rice and put them in a blender. I definitely would not be eating noodles or Pasta often. Still feel bad when I eat those Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Why did you think you could manage 1/4 cup? It definitely depends on what you are eating. I could pretty easily do 2 oz. of cottage cheese or yogurt when I first started my puree stage, but tuna and chicken... yeah... maybe three bites and I was done!

I am on my 2nd week of liquids. I like the Premier Protein shakes. I also am allowed to have yogurt so I will do that in the morning with a tomato Soup or cream soup for lunch and cream of wheat for dinner. I'm making some potato leek and butternut squash soup this weekend that I am looking forward to! Best of luck to you!

The first thing I ate on purees was Greek yogurt with almond butter (breakfast) then pureed tuna salad (lunch) then ricotta bake (dinner). As you can see, each meal had more than one ingredient! No type of food ever gave me trouble. The important thing was to keep portions small (1.5 ounce max) and eat slowly with small bites. Good luck!

I do yogurt or eggs a lot, but those don't have all the Protein you want. You could always eat the non traditional Breakfast foods like fish, chicken, etc Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Greek yogurt with a few fresh berries on top. Occasionally I'll add a half a scoop of Protein powder to my yogurt to bump up the protein even more

I'm still pre op so Greek yogurt and frozen strawberries was quite nice!

@@kaytopaz Try a different Protein shake. Maybe one of the non-milky ones (Isopure, Atkins Lift, etc). It's difficult at 30 days post-op to get enough protein without supplementing. Add protein powder to your drinks or food. I don't know if that's why you have nausea though. I am pre-op but had a GI bug 2 weeks ago - my stomach still isn't right. I have been nauseous daily. I started a new Vitamin and think that may be causing the problem. It may be too early for tuna or chicken - it can be very dry. Try adding mayo or plain yogurt. Try refried Beans with cheese, cottage cheese, etc. 2-3 bites of tuna or chicken is not unusual. You should be able to eat more if pureed.

@@Hiraeth You need to shop for appropriate post-op foods and have them available at all times. Noodles are not usually allowed on plans (as @ indicated) for months (if ever). There's alot you can be eating - cottage cheese, greek yogurt, sugar free pudding (add protein powder), hummus, ricotta bake, refried beans with cheese, pureed chili, etc. You can also supplement with protein shakes if needed to meet protein goals. No pasta, bread or rice. I don't think there's any need for an endoscopy unless you're having difficulties with appropriate foods or fluids. Time to shop!

Thank you. I will try putting the Protein into my yogurt and see how that goes. I'm not really eating too much meat yet because I'm really just starting solids. Last week I was eating soft solids like tuna fish and canned chicken. I also don't understand why I can only eat 2 to 3 bites of food before I start having pains and feel like I'm full. And by bites I means half of a baby spoon size bites. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

From a man's perspective, crushed ice or course chopped frozen fruit is a wonderful close 2nd to pop rocks. When it is my wife's turn she concurs. Now I need to find a healthy caramel sauce for her. Or perhaps yogurt. I bet my crystal light lemonade ice cubes would be amazballs while on liquids. Or maybe... Oh, sorry, forgot that you were still here. Time to wake up my sweetie!

Mixed it in a spoon full of Greek yogurt or apple sauce and then eat it. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

To my newly bypassed friends: I'm just over a week out, and I think I am feeling hungry :/ I didn't cheat at all on the liquids the first week, but since I've been allowed to add cottage cheese and yogurt I've been eating a little more than recommended. They say I should be sticking to a tablespoon max at a time, but I can easily eat 1/4 cup already. I know I'm not supposed to push it, but I'm terribly tempted to eat more and taboo foods. I'm starting to wonder if they really did the surgery at all, haha. I thought I wouldn't be hungry during this time, but I really thought I wouldn't be able to eat much. Has anyone else had a similar experience? Maybe this is all head hunger, but I don't really know how to tell. I want to eat, I seem to be able to eat. I guess I'm just wondering why I did all this in the first place...

I am not allowed to take anything other than tylenol, I get the liquid form because pills hurt. I have diverticulitis also had it before surgery and didn't know ibuprofen could cause a flare up, but my pain was only on my lower left side. Now my pouch and intire abdominal hurts, so I was put on Fentanyl Patches I switch every 3 days and Tylenol for the headaches. I took omeprazole for 1.5 years then they switched me to Nexium and ranitidine to control acid 300 mg. Total a day. I have been to 7 doctors now 6 since my gastric doctor failed me. Looking for new one. I eat cream of chicken soups, home made protein shakes with Protein powder, whole milk, Greek yogurt and banana with a little avocado. I eat q tablespoons of Peanut Butter on a half piece of toast, not my favorite. Lots of watermelon along with my Water, pedialight and G2 to try to stay hydrated. I tried to eat chicken my tummy don't like. But I can eat fish except salmon it is to dry, so I have to mix it with Soup tilapia is my favorite plus really soft, also tuna but can't eat to much due to Mercury. After 2 years this is all I can eat. I can't eat eggs anymore makes me sick. But I try to munch all day but sometimes my stomach or my sense of smell changes every week. I went on a Beans and added colby cheese. But bloated up to bad. So have to stay away for a while, it made me bloat horribly. I haven't had any cavities for 3 years before surgery 1.5 years after surgery I have 10 teeth that need fixing below the gum line. My last lab I was low on everything. So they said I am not absorbing Vitamins and protein properly. My last appointment with my doctor 1 week ago I broke down with horrible anxiety and asked him why he can't fix me. That's when they sent me to psychologist, he couldn't help so he sent me to someone to subscribe 40mg of celexa and .05mg of xanax. Thank you for the imput though. On the food photo mine is the tiny bowl before and after when I try to eat meat. I wait 30 min. Before and after to drink when I eat. The big belly is my bloating and the other one is how flat my tummy usually is. And my knees from my last fall they are still healing and my CT scan came back clear of any bleeding or bruising from hitting my head on the toilet. I just want my life back. I followed all the rules in the book I was given right before surgery with the weekly group meetings. I know 2 people who died one just turned 2 years out and the other was 1 year out.. so basically I am still sticking to mostly liquid stuff. And I eat prunes to keep soft stools I chew then spit out the stuff I know will get stuck. Sent from my SM-N910T3 using the BariatricPal App