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I'll be on a liquid diet for two weeks before and then up to day 20 post op. I'll be stocking up on jello, SF pudding, yogurt, Crystal light, protein shakes and SF popsicles. I also bought the clear premier fruit punch drink and a protein broth powder (haven't tried either yet) and am trying to find an unflavored protein powder. And even though I don't like it, I bought some unsweetened applesauce.

So good to hear your updates! Glad you’re managing work okay! Liquids was the worst. Once I started being able to eat, the heartburn got much better. Rarely is it an issue now. My doc sped along my food reintroductions since he said it was designed for people who had healing stomach lines, not for restriction. So now I’m at soft solids. So I pretty much eat anything soft, no breads pasta rice etc or processed foods. I’ll live here a while. Down 20lbs. I make a nice protein smoothie and then usually have one meal. No major hunger in between. If I snack, it’s something like yogurt.

What I want to know is who doesn't struggle with Snacks after dinner? It's sure not me. One thing I have done is move back dinner time a bit so there is less time between dinner time and bedtime. And I also do as others have mentioned: Keep the crap out of the house, have some healthy snacking alternatives, find something else to do to occupy myself. Most of the time, the combination of those things works well. Also, I make sure to eat enough earlier in the day that I am not truly hungry. I do have a snack every night after dinner ,but I try to make it a healthy one that is filling. Last night I had 1 graham cracker and 1/2 cup greek yogurt mixed with a small peach and some Splenda. Yum! ( I am at goal. I didn't start eat many graham crackers till I got to goal.) Lynda Lynda

I'm in your boat! Pre-sleeve: Breakfast- large cup of coffee lunch (if any)- salad or wrap But when I got home, all hell breaks loose. I would make chicken alfredo, steaks, mac and cheese, etc. Then, maybe a couple of hours later, I would have leftovers. This lasted maybe until 11pm. I could not stop shoveling food into my mouth. It was unattractive and borderline ridiculous. Fast forward to April 1st - the day I got sleeved. Everything seemed to be going great for the first two months maybe. Lately, I've found myself going up to the fridge, opening it, and looking inside, thinking maybe something yummy will catch my eye so I can devour it. Not good. Last week I emptied the whole thing out. I threw away everything that could potentially trigger a food fest. All i have in there is 1% milk, cheese sticks, greek yogurt, grapes, sugar free iced tea, cold cuts, and grapes. The grapes are there as a treat since they do have a lot of natural sugar. I find that even if I do go up to the fridge and "hunt" for something eat, I dont find anything that I want. Nothing tastes as good as skinny (or healthy) feels

Hi Everyone... I'm 3 days out today and still in the hospital. Per my doctor, all sleeve patients must stay in the hospital for 3 days. I'll be getting my drain tube taken out tomorrow and sent on my way home. I did the Pre-op diet for a week, having 5 Protein (Bariatric Advantage Brand) shakes a day with two warm broths and two cups of veggies. I lost 11 pounds. I haven't weighed myself post-op, but I hope I have lost some weight. All I had was Clear liquids the day prior to surgery and past midnight till today I have had nothing to drink or eat. (smh).. As of now, I am still on pain medications (a pain pump) and I'm drinking an ounce of Water once an hour every hour (which by the way has been super hard to swallow and I even get a little pain once I feel it has hit my stomach)...right before I was started on water, my doctor ordered me to get a fluoroscopy test done to make sure there were no leaks... This fluoroscopy test consisted of me drinking for the first time in more than 48 hours the most dreadful drink ever! (some disgusting dye)!.. But oh well.. My doctor is super duper thorough and since post op I have also gotten a chest x-ray and now I'm just waiting on more post-op instructions. I'll be going back to work next Thursday, hopefully by then l be feeling better and able to digest the following foods: Protein Shakes, water, sugar free Jello, warm broth, frozen yogurt?, and perhaps some veggies too as I did in the pre op diet. Good luck to the rest of the September sleevers... We got a long way to go..=)

Scaredoftheunknown Cottage cheese and salsa?? I will have to try that. Thanks for posting. Always looking for something to do with cottage cheese and Greek yogurt.

Bean soup? Yeah, me neither. It will be a full month before I'm on "regular" food. I have two weeks of full-liquids, then a week of pureed...baby food, then a week of soft foods and then on to regular foods, but slowly, one at a time. Also, the BACK PAIN! Yikes, me too. It is just now getting better...I agree, must be how they positioned me on the table. But for whatever reason, it still hurts and I'm on day 9 post-op. I will tell you this though, if I get in 3 Protein shakes a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and some creamy soup or yogurt in between and at least 2-3 (mostdays I can only manage 2) 20 oz bottles of Water, I feel pretty good. I still cannot bend to pick something off the floor...my middle still hurts. But if the floor could meet me half way, then it would be fine. And not to be gross or overshare, but did anyone else have diahrrea for the first week-ish? I know that gas they pump you full of has to get out somehow. However, I didn't expect it to bring friends with it. Especially given the clear liquid diet I was on pre-op. I can say that as of two days ago, it finally stopped. Thankfully, cause those first few days you cannot move really fast and that situation was making me need to move rather quickly. As for pain meds, yeah I stopped taking those during the day about 4 days ago and was only taking them at night. I went back to work the day after I got home from the hospital (no freaking out, I work from home), but was having loads of trouble talking to clients and trying to be coherent. Thankfully the pain started to diminish quickly and this week I only take some at night to make sleeping more comfortable. Although, they kinda stick with me. Think they get stored in your fat stores and as you are losing weight, the meds get released, built in time-release so-to-speak. But they do help with making moving more comfortable at night. Now, I'm moving on to intentional exercise. I like the 10 minutes 3 times a day. I think that would be perfect right now. And in a week-ish, I'm going to add strength training...light strength training, mind you. Not interested in pulling incisions open.

Get the plain Chiobani Greek yogurt & mix with sugar free Smuckers jam and a little Splenda. it has 18 grams of protein in the lowest sugar that I could find of the Greek yogurts. then add vanilla or unflavored protein powder to get additional protein in. I add a little of my Sobe yummy berry pomegranate with it to liquify a little bit just so it's not so thick. Yummo! this is what my post op doctor ordered for me and no milk for 10 days. my first day with protein shakes using milk I ended up in the bathroom all day so I'm taking probiotic pills. Good luck!

I'm still pre-op, but during my assessment with NUT, when I talked about eating sweets in the evening, she suggested trying Yasso Greek frozen yogurt bars. I've tried the chocolate and they are soooooooo yummy. I have the sea salted caramel in my freezer now. I got them at wal-mart.

Just tried these - awesome snack with protein that makes you feel guilty it tastes so good, and it's easy on the sleeve regardless of where you are in your journey. 6 g Protein 80 calories 14 carbs 1 fat Yasso brand Greek Frozen Yogurt bars - I tried coconut. Yum! Tastes like coconut ice cream. They come in other flavors, too. Found them in my grocery store freezer section (Smith's). I wouldn't eat these every day to fill my protein needs, but for the occasional snack that tastes divine and still is weightloss friendly, this will do the trick. No, I'm not affiliated with Yasso

WOW! I feel like a slob! I did liquid and yogurt diet 1.5 weeks post op, by week 2 i was eating scrambled eggs( very little) and yogurt. My doctor said eat what I can, but without doubt DRINK!!!! and PROTEIN!!! I eat very little at one time. I did find protein chews- peanut butter chocolate - 10mg of protein ,not to gross, from think thin. I miss salads and vegis. Lost 23 lbs - 5 weeks post op. I feel so much better!!!

@beauty29@sasechick Post op 1 week today. A few questions . I am eating small portions of yogurt , cottage cheese, sliced chicken , sugar free ice pops, per my dr instructions. Also drinking high protein , low sugar drinks, I wonder how long the gassy feeling after eating and drinking lasts? And does anyone feel nausea after eating? Please add me to any emails or face book accounts Tropical37@gmail.com

I attended my last pre-op MD visit and pre op visit today which included a class on the pre and post op diet. I was expecting something way tougher based on my reading here. What I received was: PreOp: Starting 2 weeks prior to surgery date, daily diet is: -3x Nectar or Unjury protein shake -1/2 cup oatmeal or cream of wheat -1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce -1 cup of vegetables -1/2 cup of light n fit or carb master yogurt -1 cup of low fat soup This is not an "or" list, but rather I'm supposed to eat everything on that list daily on the 2 week pre op diet. -1 day prior to surgery = clear liquids only. Curious as to why different surgeons have such drastically different requirements for the pre op diet? Also of note, for post op, they only have you on clear liquids for the first 2 days, then full liquids and purees from day 3-20, soft foods (meaning can be cut with a fork) from week 3-6, then all normal food after 6 weeks with the exception of bread/rice/pasta, which cannot have until 12 weeks.

Stage 2B is what my NUT is calling it. Basically I can have ricotta/string cheese (skim), yogurts, broths, and chicken breast (moist). Not on to purée yet but I find it weird that I can have chicken Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm 4 weeks out so I'm no expert but I'm also not a big/good cook. I've cooked twice since post-op. I started puree/soft foods 2 weeks ago and this is what I do... For breakfast and/or lunch, I eat yogurt or have a protein shake. My nutritionist said I can have turkey bacon so sometimes I throw some in the microwave and have that. For dinner: I've been eating canned salmon (not big on tuna) and canned chicken. They last a pretty long time and there are some really simple recipes for them. I don't consider that cooking because mostly I saute them with frozen onion and peppers, season it and I'm done in 10 mins. If I want more flair, I'll add a small amount of teriyaki sauce or oriental sauce. As far as fast food, I've also had rotisserie chicken from the Peruvian restaurant by my house. It went down better than the canned meat! Right now for the most part I just eat meat so it's pretty easy to track. I have a digital scale and I just measure out 3-4 oz. The 2 meals I cooked were 2 different types of chili. Both of which only had like 5 ingredients. I had leftovers for a few days. I haven't been to a restaurant yet but I like all the advice that BigSue gave on this. I'll def keep them in mind!

I had some tomato soup, didn't know it was spicy when I bought it. I was able to tolerate it just fine. I'm one week post-op and on full liquids. I find that yogurt sits harder in my tummy than other things. I'm definitely dealing with head hunger, but my sleeve has no problem in letting me know it's too much. I had broth from Chinese soup the other day and it was the first time I felt over full. I had about 6-8oz total but felt like I'd had a 6 course meal.

@Groovymommy... You're doing GREAT! I'm so impressed with your high losses. How many grams of protein and water would you say you honestly get a day? The faintness and dizzy spells are a concern. Maybe now that the pepcid is helping your stomach you'll be able to eat and drink more. Crossing my fingers for you. And congrats on the new underwear! I look forward to that. I'm moving along. At my slow pace. My hair has started falling out. That's new and unwelcomed since I already thinned out when the early menopause hit. But I suppose it was expected. I'll also expect it to stop around month 8 like many say it will. And try and be clever with my hair styles until then. At least we're all mostly stuck at home right now. I'm 4.5 months post and I've lost 37 since surgery and 42 since the pre-op diet. I'm between 180-181 and Just past my halfway goal to 150. On average I eat about 1000 cals a day with 65-70 protein and about the same in carbs. I get 48 ounces of water a day. No more no less. It seems to be sustaining me. I don'T have dizzy spells or weakness. But I struggle to poop and have a LOT of headaches/migraines. I've started taking motrin now and again always with a prilosec. And started a steroid for a few days sue to several mirgaines in a row. A little worried about how they will affect my stomach but so far so good minus the constant constipation. Not a great deal else to share. No new clothes yet but I'd gained weight fairly quickly the last year so I was still wearing a couple different sizes regularly. Clothes are definitely looser and people are starting to comment on my losses now and the which is nice. I'm eager to hit 179 as that's what I weighed on a vacation we took 4 years ago where I enjoy the pictures I'm in. So it feels like a weight I can start acknowledging that I'm looking better despite having that common resistance to actually SEEING my progress in the mirror. The weather has turned cold here in the midwest so the daily long walks are over for a while. It's onto the treadmill which I don't love. But netflix makes it easier. Whatcha guys eating? I still rarely get fruits and veggies in. Maybe one serving a day. Hope my vitamin covers the rest. But I'm always hitting my protein goal so I'm feeling pretty accomplished. This is a typical day... I have my 23 gram smoothie in the morning which is greek yogurt, banana almond milk and PB2. Just had 2 oz of strip steak for lunch at 17 grams pro and two bites of my daughter's apple. The snack I just finished is coffee with chocolate fairlife milk and 1/4 cottage cheese for 13 grams pro. So I'm at 53 grams. Dinner will probably Chinese stirfry. I'll have 2 oz chicken and a few snowpeas. For another 12 grams protein. Then I'll have a treat... like a square of dark chocolate or a few bites of my husband's dessert. That's a typical day. Plus 48oz water and at least 30 minutes cardio/power walking. Hope everyone else is seeing success. Feel free to share their typical day. ONWARD!

How’s everyone feeling today? We’ve got some newly post ops and a couple about to go. @Groovymommy I’m getting excited for you! Today is decidedly better for me. Less soreness. Less queasy. I had some fat free Greek yogurt with a little unsweetened applesauce ( about 3 tablespoons) and my protein broth. My family is currently eating burgers with all the fixings including guacamole and fried eggs, seasoned curly fries and chocolate cake. So I am hiding out in the bedroom. I am determined to not let my choice to do this surgery make them feel guilty for indulging. Those fries smell amazing. But frankly I’m just relieved I think so cuz that is the opposite of nausea. Check in Bypassers! ONWARD!

So far (almost four months out), the only thing I've found that consistently gives me trouble is Mexican-style spices, even if it's super-mild (I don't like much spicy stuff anyway). My stomach has not liked that any time I've tried it. I get the slimes every time, even from just a bite or two. Otherwise, so far I haven't had problems, at least not consistently (and since it's not consistent, I'm more apt to think it's because I ate too fast or didn't chew well enough or something, rather than the food itself). I haven't tried soft/fluffy breads/biscuits/rolls yet (other than one tiny bite), but I've eaten toast and tortillas and such. I don't dump on natural sugars for the most part, as long as I don't consume "huge" amounts, so I don't drink a full serving of juice in one sitting (I'll either water it down or spread it out over a couple hours). I try to avoid added sugars over 5-10 grams, depending on the product (more lenient with yogurt than with some unhealthy treat, for example).

I am 32 days out. I have never had any problems with vomiting, and glad of it. That means I'm doing things right. I have however had some pain just a couple of times with meats not going down well. You learn as you go as to how much of what to eat. Meats are though for me. But I can eat tuna salad, chicken salad, spaghetti sauce with meat in it (no pasta) & chili with beans. Things with meat that have more liquid in them go down much better. I can eat more of soft foods, like yogurt, pudding, etc. It's like pouring water in an odd shaped container, Liquid can go in every crevice, but you can't push solids in like that. Plus solids stay with you tummy longer because they are harder to digest. I can tolerate protein bars much better than protein shakes so I opt for those. I have 2-3 a day with 20 grams of protein each and then eat sensibly the rest of the day. I drink 60 oz of water a day, and walk 1 1/2 miles to 2 miles a day. This is not hard...it's common sense. Like the other sleever said. RELAX... if your not hurting or vomiting your doing it right !!!!!!! My Doctor also said (after my direct question) the part of your stomach that is taken away is the part that stretches, the thicker harder muscle part is what is left. And it is very hard to stretch it. He said it will only stretch about 2 extra oz's. and that's it. But as Dee Dee said, if you constantly over eat, it will make that small stretch, an it will not help you at all. So don't do it!!!! It's that simple. But from what I've read your all doing great....just keep up the good work, and do the BIG THREE ( PROTEIN, WATER, WALK) and you'll be fine. I'm not a veterian yet, but I'm getting there slowly.

Hi ladies. Hope you all had a great day! I feel like I'm always complaining about my back, so if you feel that way too, skip this :thumbup: Though I know you won't because you are all so awesome:thumbup: I have not had an MRI yet. In January doc said if it got worse we would do one, but when it got worse and I called I've been put off for 3 weeks. He's out of town and I completely understand, but it's going to be a long couple of weeks. I'm sure when I see him again we will get to the bottom of it. It is bad enough that I won't let him just sluff me off. However, in the past, the pain has always resolved itself and I truly expected it to do that this time too. One question. Is a back specialist called an orthopedist? Is that the kind of doc I need to be looking for? I thought that was a joint doc, but maybe I'm crazy. You all are much more medically smart than I. As for food....life is going well in that department. My fill has brought me some relief from the hunger. I can eat my yogurt in the morning and be satisfied until lunch. Had a kashi bar for lunch, was fine until dinner. Had a bit of soup and good until....we'll see. So that is positive. I'm focussing on THAT success and trying to ignore the back. Well, I started this an hour ago and then got busy on the phone. I promise that after this weekend I will stay at home until my back problems have been resolved. Even turned down a free trip to TJ because of the back issues (so it must be bad!). Good night ladies. Have a great tomorrow. Hugs to you all.

Salsa - Your restriction is better than mine and i think i have pretty good restriction- i think i am at my sweet spot - i would not want to be any tighter than i am. here is my menu for the day breakfast - 1/3 cup egg beaters w/cheese = 90 c - 10 pt Lunch - cabbage bell pepper onion pork rice (one pot wonder) 250 c - 10 pt (1 cup food am full) Clear Protein Drink - 70 c - 15 pt Dinner - 4 oz 0Fish - 1/2 cup veggies - 1/4 cup brown rice= 280 c = 25 pt ( i will be stuffed on this dinner) Snack - yogurt 5 gr pt - or pudding 2 grms pt - or fudgecicle 3 grms calories for snack 60 to 80 so thats about 1030 caloires for the day and about 65 grms pt. My doc says to try to eat HIGH protein food the very first thing so that by night time you can get some carbs & veggies 1 oz meat = 7 grms of protein.. Instead of an egg for breakfast - how about a Protein shake - that has 20 grms of pt or egg beater which has 1/3 the calories of a real egg and just as much protein... heck add some veggies to make an omlette - I love my veggies and i eat zuchinnee & yellow crooked neck squash almost every night (very low in calories) - cook them really well and it's like eating Soup - try that. I really don't count the calories from my veggies - i just add 50 c for veggies weither i have one or two cups... to me veggies are free - see i am a ww girl ;0) You are doing great !!!!!

Kathy - I have a little 3x4 sprial notebook (that i got at Target) that I carry with me. I log my food and exercise in. For me it's easy - i throw it in my purse every morning - then throw it on my desk during the day and on my coffee table at night - I don't have to be signed in anywhere to log my food. I just jot down what I ate - calories & protein grams. I jot down my weight each thrusdays and keep a running total of total lost each week.. example of page 1/2 - Wed yogurt/banana 100 c 5 pt meat 150 18 pt veggies 35 2pt fish 200 28 pt rice 120 1 pt veggie 50 2 pt shrimp 100 10 pt popcorm 100 exercise 3 miles

I had my surgery July 12 (last Thursday). I have been amazed with how well everything has went. You all told me to just walk and walk as soon and as much as I could. I have had the gas pains, but not bad at all and if I just get up and walk a little bit they have immediatly gone away. So if I have any advice for anyone getting ready to be banded, JUST WALK! I have also had the great news this morning that I have lost 7 pounds since my surgery. It is so modifational. That helps with any little pains I do get. Today I got to have applesauce, yogurt, SF pudding, and runny mashed potatoes added to my choices of food. This is suppose to last for 14 days and then I get mushy stuff. Let me tell you that applesauce never tasted so good. But I could only eat less than half a cup before I was full. I guess that is a good thing. My main problem is not drinking Water an hour before and an hour after a meal. Also none with my meal. I have just caught myself doing it absent mindedly. Got to find a way to get that to my attention. Oh well, thanks for listenly and thanks for all of the encouragement, ideas, and experiences you all share so openly and honestly. You are my special friends that I think of and pray for every day. Patti C

Welcome Kristen07.. what has kept me sane during this time, I keep full by drinking to stay full, everytime I feel the urge to stuff my face I grab a bottle of water, crystal light, ice tea, slim fast optima or something. The first couple days are hard, but it gets easier everyday. My family had fried chicken today and I had a yogurt and it didn't even bother me.