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Hope your protein intake gets easier soon! I couldn't do protein shakes and had a lot of nausea with meat for a while. At one point I was surviving on sugar free jello, greek yogurt and Fairlife (high protein) milk. If you can't handle meat, back off of it and get protein other places for a bit. Then try again when you are a bit further out.

My program does not have yogurt in this stage. But good to know it is working for you. I might switch if I continue having problems getting my shakes in. I started my day with E- drink(Gatorade zero) cuz I was getting leg cramps. Then tried to get in my shake for breakfast and started getting nauseous- probably sipping too quickly. Time for a nap. This is a bit exhausting to keep attention on sipping without without getting sick.

Okay so I just found something that may help me and others in the purée stage with getting fiber. Oikos yogurt has 3g per serving. I don’t love Greek yogurt but I checked mine and it has none (my husband had the Greek stuff and he pointed it out) so I added a packet of Splenda and it’s isn’t super horrible that way. Tastes better than milk of magnesia. I read that we should try to get 5G per 1000 calories so I am gonna try to get one of those in a day and hopefully that will help.

I also had really intense constipation for the first month after the sleeve. I took Benefiber and stool softeners and drank 90 oz of water a day, but I still had long bouts of painful constipation (5 days or more). At my one month check-in with the nutritionist, she told me it was fine to use Milk of Magnesia every other day prophylactically until I started getting more plant fiber in my diet. She also told me to add chia seeds to my Greek yogurt. This worked for that second month and, now 2.5 months out, I am able to eat more veggies and not taking the Milk of Magnesia anymore and am totally regular lol. TL;DR In my experience, getting enough fiber gets easier every week. Talk to your surgeon or nutritionist about Milk of Magnesia. My nutritionist didn't want people relying on it indefinitely, but was fine with me using it very regularly for a month until I started getting more fiber.

It does get easier. Protein from meat can be a funny thing. Some days are amazing getting it in and others I stick to things like tofu, cottage cheese, yogurt and protein soups when shakes seem too sweet. Just do the best you can for now. Does your surgeon have you on an acid reducer? If not that might be an option in helping you feel better. However if you’re on one, see about lowering the dose to see if that helps relieve symptoms as gastric bypass can cause acid reflux due to low stomach acid.

Hey I am also struggling with pre-op. Today was my first day. I’m allowed liquids, protein shakes, 2 lean solid proteins like eggs, chicken, Greek yogurt, and vegetables. No fat/carbs. I feel like I’m starving, my head hurts, and I have a short fuse with my twins. Considering that all these docs have different pre-op diets, it feels somewhat arbitrary and I hate doing things that don’t feel meaningful. So I just re-frame it in my mind “this is a challenge I can overcome and I’ll feel good knowing I did if.” Other diets felt pointless after awhile bc I knew I couldn’t sustain it forever. I’m like - 10 days - I can do this! I’m just hoping it gets easier!!

so sorry, full liquid stage is hard enough without your main food source making you sick. A few ideas for you to consider (if you haven't already) thinning the protein shake or using them to thin greek yogurt. bariatric protein soups and protein hot cocoas (you can get them on Amazon). using plain genepro - it is nearly taste and textureless - in a cup of tea, juice, or milk. FYI - there is some controversy on the genepro claim of how much protein is in a serving. At my dietician's advice I half the protein they claim to have in a serving just to be safe. Adding powdered milk to milk to make a higher protein drink, especially if you use fairlife milk which is already higher in protein. making popsicles out of the protein shakes, maybe having them as a frozen meal will make a difference?

I’m 4 days post op and it definitely gets easier. Today was the first day I was able to get close to my 64oz but definitely felt like a full time job. Protein drink makes me sick so I’ve been eating 1-2 oikos pro yogurts which total 50 grams of protein. I split those 12 oz in yogurt into four different snacks. It definitely gets better. Never realized how much I enjoyed chicken stock

The 23rd of March was my 1 month sleev-a-versary so I thought I'd post an update. I'd love to hear how others who are about a month out are doing, so feel free to share the good, bad, or gross (and I do mean poo talk). My recovery has thankfully been uneventful. I had the normal struggles in the first week (nausea, water/protein intake, gas pain, uncomfortable sleeping) but nothing terrible. I have had some poo struggle days, that has been the worst! Right now the pipes are working (cross fingers) but a week ago - hoo boy, not great. I've discovered that I need to take a stool softener at least every other day or things stop moving. My energy has been better, but there are still days when I can't believe how tired I feel just walking up the stairs. I graduated to the pureed stage this week (my program does full liquids for 4 weeks) which was exciting but also a little scary to try "new" foods on my tiny tummy and see how she did. So far, she has handled everything like a champ and I am really enjoying eating more than protein shakes, protein soup, and yogurt. I've lost 19 pounds since my surgery day and can feel a difference in how my body moves, how much less pain I have in my joints, and how my clothes fit. I can bend at the waist more comfortably, balance on one foot better, and crossing my arms or my legs is comfortable again. I tried on a dress that I wore to a family wedding in January of last year and was shocked to see how baggy it was on me. One of my biggest WLS fears was my emotional state taking a downturn during recovery and from not being able to eat normally. I'm happy to say that hasn't happened, in fact it's been the opposite. I feel like I have a stronger perspective and more balanced moods overall. I think seeing some immediate positive results in how my body feels is part of the reason, along with having finally done the thing I spent so long thinking and worrying about. Now that I am on the other side I am experiencing what the reality of WLS is for me rather than worrying about what it might be.

I could only drink the protein shakes really cold over ice. have you tried that or mixing it with milk so it's thinner and less sweet? You can try protein water (sold at Walmart and other grocery stores). Others loved them but they had a slight dry/chalky after taste so poured over a lot of ice helped and I could drink it that way. You can also buy Fairlife skim milk that has more protein. I had to play a mental game initially to get enough protein and would pour 2 ounces in a shot glass and make myself take a sip after playing a game on my phone so I would sip and after 10-15 minutes I got that 2 ounces drank. I would also do it while watching TV and made my self drink the 2 ounces shot glass half way between every set of commercials. That way it didn't seem too overwhelming. Greek yogurt also has a lot of protein that you may be able to blend with milk so it's not as thick.

Here’s what I ate yesterday. I work nights so times are approximate and wonky as I mostly just snack at work so I don’t keep definite track of times- 7pm- protein shake in coffee- 25g protein 8-9pm- protein beef bouillon soup packet- 15g protein 10pm-1am- 1 serving bugles, 1.5oz beef jerky, single serve packet freeze dried apples, and cottage cheese- 27g protein 2am-3am- protein cream of chicken soup packet and Starbucks doubleshot coffee- 22g protein 4am-5am- protein shake, 1/2 chobani blueberry yogurt- 36g protein 630-7am- 1/2 special k meal bar- 6g protein 8am- 3 bites of a bacon cheeseburger that I had already eaten from 3 other times. Maybe 5-10g protein Came out to about 140g protein and 1450 calories. My protein requirements are insanely high because I had a bowel resection in December ao I don’t absorb protein as well as I did before and I’m now trying to maintain at 150-155. So far today I’ve been up for about an hour and eaten the other half of that special k bar from yesterday.

Thank you for the suggestions. I am still on the liquid phase of my diet, so I’m not sure about the Greek yogurt and other things until Tuesday. Everything else I eat/drink does not make me sick, but protein drinks just make my stomach churn for some reason.

Yasso bars and whipped greek yogurt helped me. Soups made with bone broth could be a nice change. Two weeks out, my favorite things were cream of wheat and thinned refried beans or thinned mashed potatoes or pureed potatoe soup. Plant protien in beans and potatoes made a nice break from all the milk protien in the shakes. Some nutritionists will frown on carbs, however. Mine did not. Wishing you the best.

Have you tried protein hot cocoa? I found that much easier to drink than cold protein shakes. A lot of people like to use protein shakes as coffee creamer (caramel shakes work well for this). Have you tried clear protein, like Syntrax Nectar? That's more like juice than a shake, so you might find it more tolerable. You can also try protein soups, or mixing unflavored protein powder into regular soup. Are you allowed to have purees yet? If so, you can mix unflavored protein powder into almost anything pureed. (I prefer to use flavored protein powders with sweet purees like yogurt, pudding, applesauce, oatmeal, etc. and unflavored in savory foods like refried beans, mashed cauliflower, soup, etc.).

Might I suggest googling "post op bariatric smoothies" and "post op bariatric soups"? My best friend had her sleeve done 3/18 & blends & strains smoothies made with whey protein powder, skim milk, frozen blueberries & bananas, frozen strawberries. She recently added some sugar free Greek yogurt with good success. Soups are Campbell's cream of (chicken, mushroom, celery) with ricotta, milk & seasonings blended and strained for good measure but there's several good squash soups that people seem to love as well. Good luck and great job preparing in advance!

What about regular plain yogurt with a bit of splenda/stevia/vanilla/honey? Goat cheese? (Not sure what is allowed as I'm several month prior to surgery, but I like food). Refried beans with cheese? I hit a wall with protein drinks this morning and I'm not a fan of eggs so I'm trying to find ideas for protein heavy breakfasts now, and I get it that trying to get yourself to eat something YOU JUST DON'T LIKE is not going to work!

So I was a companion on 3/18-21 to my best friend (38f) while she had her sleeve thru Baja medical with Dr. A (Dr A's Iron Sleevers group is a great resource on FB) I've been considering the surgery myself but am still actively losing weight & maintaining my loss (we both had lost 50lbs since October of 2020) and I'm not quite ready to commit to the sleeve just yet. So here's what I'd tell future Tijuana (or any) bariatric patients. Buy a good variety of broth packets & cubes as well as electrolyte packets because what tasted good before may not after surgery. I cannot stress this enough- do not ALLOW yourself to get medically dehydrated. They kind of skimp on the IV fluids so it won't take long after surgery to become dehydrated & once that dry heaving begins it's a short trip to kidney strain and needing the hospital. Two girls (different surgeons than our group but same hospital) ended up needing IV fluids after being discharged. Bring an extension cord & heating pad- that heating pad was my friends favorite thing while down there. Take the preop diet very seriously, including caffeine, it will ensure you're body is burning fat stores before you have surgery which you'll be grateful for when you're only getting 150-300 calories a day the first few days home. Try to learn a few Spanish phrases or bring a decent translation dictionary because the service industry down there caters mostly to other Mexican tourists and don't speak much English- this is super helpful for uber, ordering food or even just going to sbux. Bring a small thermos that you can take anywhere. 10 oz is ideal and you won't be drinking even that much in a sitting before coming home. Buy Miralax & use it the day you get home (surgeon said this was fine) because the constipation struggle IS REAL after general anesthesia & you DO NOT want to be straining your abdominal muscles after surgery! Buy everything you need for bariatric smoothies & soups before you go- you won't want to be hunting down ingredients two days after getting home. Chobani now makes a bottled yogurt drink with 25g protein, chicory root fiber & monk fruit with no chunks- very post OP friendly & you'll be SUPER sick of protein shakes by the 1 week mark. Most importantly- be your own advocate; if your nurse is overly busy & blows you off (hospital is crazy busy down there right now b/c stimulus + tax returns) then ask to speak to your dr. and make yourself heard. Lastly, if you have a hotel day try & visit Avenida Revolucion (10 minute Uber from the hotels)- we went with some other sleevers & it was an awesome distraction, great place to walk & the Hotel Caesar (birthplace of the caesar salad!) makes a French onion soup that if you as for "just jus'" or "suave', liquido colado (strained liquid) they'll give you a crock of just the rich broth! Be safe everyone, my friend is 6 days post OP & getting stronger each day!

If you want something incredibly delicious and shakey....try frozen bananas with coco powder, skim milk, coconut milk, frozen greek yogurt (I just dump some in a zip lock baggie and break pieces off after it's frozen) and vanilla...in the blender. Bananas do have sugar, so watch out if you are sensitive. This is my go to when I crave ice cream. It's amazing, decent nutrition, and you can add protien powder if you want.

I use IdealLean protein by IdealFit. The birthday cake flavor is my favorite (especially to mix into yogurt), and they have some other delicious flavors, too (I like chocolate brownie, chocolate coconut, and mint chocolate).

That I know of yes, I have that on my plan along with yogurt. Today I’m 1 week post op and start full liquids.

oh yea - Liberte yogurt is great. I think it has a fair amount of fat in it, which is probably why! So creamy - I love it - haven't had it in a long time, though...

I don't normally buy flavoured yogurt...I prefer to get plain greek yogurt and just add my own fixins. BUT...picked up this lemon flavoured one by request and OMG its delicious! Gonna make a sweeping declaration here and state that this is the best store-bought pre-flavoured yogurt I have EVER had. Yummer. 189 calories for this cup with 10 almonds...ate it all

I am 8 months out and up until the last month or so, I usually needed protein powder to reach my goal of 60 grams of protein per day. It varies from one person to the next (and your surgeon may recommend a different protein goal than mine), but it could be a while before you can eat enough to get all of your protein from food. That doesn't necessarily mean you need to drink protein shakes every day (I know we all get sick of those); you can mix protein powder into other foods or beverages (a lot of people like to use caramel protein shake as a coffee creamer). My go-to breakfast for a long time was half a scoop of protein powder mixed with half a container of triple zero Greek yogurt, for a total of 19 grams of protein (my favorite combo is birthday cake protein powder plus vanilla yogurt, topped with raspberries). Another good one is protein oatmeal. The BariatricPal store sells some with 15 grams of protein per serving, and you can add some more protein powder to that. There are a lot of protein pancake mixes on the market (and you can even buy frozen protein pancakes and waffles). Eggs, chicken sausage, and turkey bacon are always good high-protein options for breakfast. For lunch and dinner, I usually have about 2 ounces of meat and 2 ounces of veggies, like a salad with chicken, or BBQ chicken (with sugar-free BBQ sauce) and air-fried veggies (green beans, asparagus, carrots, or broccoli), or lettuce wraps (like PF Chang's). Another favorite is Mexican-seasoned chicken with cauliflower rice, salsa, black beans, cheese, and nonfat Greek yogurt. And taco bites, with Quest chili lime protein chips topped with Mexican-seasoned chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, and nonfat Greek yogurt. You can't eat much at this point, so you have to keep it simple and focus on protein. I love my air fryer and Instant Pot and I make a lot of recipes with them, but if you don't have those, you can find similar recipes that use other cooking methods. Here are some great recipes that I've made recently: Chicken Divan with cauliflower cream sauce (the cauliflower cream sauce is fantastic and can be used as a white sauce in a lot of recipes) Instant Pot Carnitas Instant Pot Mexican Chicken Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken Garlic Parmesan Carrot Fries Buffalo Cauliflower (I make it in the air fryer) Turkey Ragu (excellent with Shelly's Ricotta Bake, roasted spaghetti squash, or shirataki noodles) Instant Pot Egg Bites Instant Pot BBQ chicken White Chicken Chili I have a freezer full of bariatric portioned meals and Pinterest boards full of more recipes that I'm dying to try! If you don't already use Pinterest, you definitely should -- it's a gold mine.

Tommorow will be my third week post op.I start soft foods tomorrow. The problem is I’ve been having trouble eating. Every time I stand up I get so dizzy,and I’m forgetting things a lot.I’ve been taking my vitamins; I don’t know what to eat because I have no appetite ( I know this is normal). Today I tried to heat up some canned chicken noodle soup ( without the noodles) and I was instantly repulsed by it . Even yogurt I have no interest in eating. I’m just sticking to 2 protein shakes a day and sometimes even less. I don’t even know what I’ll eat on soft foods because I don’t eat eggs or tuna. Any advice?

I am two weeks post op. I started the puree diet phase today. My surgeon did not have me on pure liquids for the last couple of weeks though- I could eat jello, pudding, apple sauce, thin soups w/out chunks, yogurt, instant mashed potatoes, etc.... I have been putting my food in a 4 oz paper cup- usually about half full, sometimes a bit more. Never to the top. So about 2-3 ounces every time I eat. I usually eat 3-4 times per day. As I introduce new foods, I am concerned about how I feel while/after eating. I am not sure if what I am feeling is normal for this point, if I am overeating, or if the food is not agreeing with me. I have never thrown up and only once felt like I was going to. I don't experience pain, but discomfort sometimes. Like an acid reflux feeling or I feel like I need to burp. It feels like the food just sits there for a bit. The feeling typically does not last long- a couple of minutes. Never more than 10-15. Since I am not in pain or vomiting, I just kind of assumed this is just something I have to deal with for a while. But since I can now add more foods to my diet, I thought maybe I should ask. I don't go to the doctor for another week. I can tolerate the feeling, but just am more nervous about doing damage of some kind.