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Hi. I'm one week out. Doing good hitting protein/hydration. I fell well and am in good spirits. I'm doing my sips. I'm allowed yogurt/pudding on my liquid diet right now but I seriously get pain from it. Even the smallest amounts liquified in my mouth cause pain almost right after swallowing. I've even tried watering down yogurt with almond milk. I also noticed that with the premier protein shakes I have to let the sips almost run down my throat rather than swallowing but not the fairlife, those I can actually swallow because the consistency is different. Really only water and Gatorade have been going down without much pain. Anyway, I am not sure if I had a hernia repair yet (haven't been able to ask yet), but wondering if that is what is causing it? If not is this something that improves over time? Thanks! Sent from my Pixel 3a using BariatricPal mobile app

I wouldn't stock up on much food because you're really not going to be eating much the first few weeks, and the first couple of weeks you're likely to be just having protein shakes and very low (or no) calorie fluids. You'll probably be able to go to the grocery store by the time you move on to purees or soft foods - if not before. I was driving about a week after surgery. But pick up some protein powder or ready to drink shakes before you go to the hospital since you'll be drinking those as soon as you get home. Samples (individual packets) are great if you can find some, since you're not going to like all brands and you don't want to get stuck with some 2 lb tub - or a case of ready to drink shakes - that you end up not liking. So maybe a handful of some individual servings of three or four different brands. I guess you could also pick up some sugar free popsicles and sugar free Jello if you like those, and maybe some broth - since those you can eat right away too. But see what your surgeon's plan is. Some surgeons have patients move to purees quicker than others (I was able to start on them as soon as I got home from the hospital, although that's not common) - so I also had things like sugar free pudding and Greek yogurt on hand. But most people don't start eating those until they're a couple of weeks out. you can get your vitamins beforehand since you'll probably start taking those pretty quickly after surgery, and you'll already know what types and what amounts you'll need to take. I used my blender a lot (and still do), so maybe pick up one of those if you don't already have one. And a food scale (you won't need it right away, but you'll need it fairly quickly). I also got some ramekins in a couple of different sizes and some baby spoons, but that's probably optional (I still use those, though! It's easier to "eyeball" portions when I'm putting my food in an 8 oz ramekin - or 4 oz - or whatever) - and I love using a baby spoon for eating things like yogurt!) I slept most of the time I was at the hospital, so I really didn't need anything other than my phone and charger. I think I might have brought toiletries, but they gave me a bag of those at the hospital (deodorant, shampoo, a disposable toothbrush and small tube of toothpaste), so I really didn't need them. Oh - wear comfy, loose clothing that's easy to get on and off so you can manage dressing yourself before you leave the hospital. I wore the same outfit home that I did when I went to the hospital. A lot of people like to have Biotin spray (or the generic equivalent) because your mouth can be dry after surgery. Other than that....???

soup is a liquid and goes right through you. Yogurt takes a little longer, but not much. You'll start to really feel the restriction when you get to the solid food stage.

I had RNY 1/15. Everything is going great - it amazes me I have no pain whatsoever and am already exercising (walking) and basically getting the hang of the post op diet. I’m so confused though- I eat that soup or yogurt (4oz) and feel no significant fullness. I hear others can barely get through a few bites. Any thoughts? I am losing steadily so... something is working!

Yeah, sometimes just plain water can taste blah. I find green tea helpful. You can try herbal teas as well. I’ll also pour myself a large glass of sparkling water & let it sit until the bubbles greatly reduce or disappear & then sip on it over a couple of hours. I still drink plain water in between but I find I enjoy the minerally taste of the now flat sparkling water. Wish I thought to do it at the beginning to break the water monotony. I also found a good high protein drinking yoghurt which helped reach protein & fluid goals. It’s easy to make your own too by blending milk with Greek yogurt & some berries or other fruit for flavour. Just avoid adding sweeteners (natural or artificial). Good luck on your journey.

I would not eat this - I have to be very very careful with artificial sweeteners. It has erythritol and sorbitol both which cause me to have the runs really really really badly. I cannot drink any of the weight loss shakes or meal replacers or these "diet bars" no zero calorie sweetened yogurt, no low cal/low sugar ice creams unless I read the ingerdients really carefully. Anyone with celiac disease of gluten intolerance also should be VERY careful with these.

During weight loss phase, very rarely. If i did, it was like 5-10 berries (raspberries or blueberries) on a salad or with cottage cheese or yogurt. AFTER weight loss phase I eat more, but probably still not so much compared to others (maybe 0-2 times a week). Also, I expanded beyond berries: apples, grapes. And the very occasional watermelon or mango or papaya or pineapple. P.S. I'm not counting cucumbers or avocados (which I eat a TON of), nor tomatoes (which I eat sometimes). But these aren't usually considered "fruit" when people ask about "fruit" lol.

Most of my preparations for life after surgery were about the pre-surgery diet and the first couple of months post-op (liquids, purees, and soft foods). For the pre-surgery diet and post-op liquid diet, I purchased a bunch of samples of protein powders (different flavors and brands) because I never used protein powders before and wasn't sure what I would like. I also got ready-to-drink protein shakes, protein water, bone broth, protein soup mixes, unflavored protein powder, sugar-free popsicles, and sugar-free Jello. For the pureed stage, I bought unsweetened applesauce, sugar-free pudding, protein oatmeal, fat free refried beans, Laughing Cow cheese, and yogurt. I made some pureed black bean soup and froze it in individual portions. I bought way too much food for the pureed stage because it was only a week (actually, I stuck to purees for an extra couple of weeks before I worked up the nerve to move on to soft foods) and I was only eating a couple of ounces at a time (half of an individual pudding or applesauce). I still have quite a bit of this stuff 6 months later! I don't really do a lot of hardcore "meal prep," but since I live alone and eat tiny portions, any time I cook a regular-sized recipe, it is a lot of portions, so I freeze it in individual servings. I made a turkey meat sauce recipe the other day (https://www.panningtheglobe.com/quick-turkey-ragu/) that came out to 28 portions, which I froze in disposable 2-ounce cups. I also have a lot of 4-ounce glass containers that I use to freeze individual portions. I didn't really work out before surgery. I started after surgery, doing Leslie Sansone Walk at Home videos (available on YouTube). I started with 15-minute videos and worked my way up to 30-50 minutes per day. I try to get at least 10,000 steps per day. I do strength training with resistance bands 2-3 times per week. I also use 3-pound weights when I do the walk at home videos.

This!! I was so worried at the same point post-op because a container (small) of nonfat plain Greek yogurt, Popsicles, even mashed potatoes to a lesser extent didn't make me full. I kept reading here how people couldn't finish 3 bites of anything post-op and it scared me! I called my surgeon and he said wait until you eat regular food. And he was right.

Good morning all, My last post (about a month ago) was about hair loss, a major stall, and some female issues. A month later, and nothing has changed, except maybe getting worse. The female issues are *hopefully* being addressed at an appointment next week, though I'm not sure what will happen. I'm still stuck at 181 and have been for almost two months. At one point, I got down to 178 for a few days, but I suddenly shot back up to 184 and have been bouncing between 180-183 forever now. It's SO depressing! My hair is falling out at a rapid pace. I know this is a common side effect, but I wasn't prepared for it to be this bad. I literally now have small, nearly bald patches and the texture of existing hair is like fine straw. 😞 Not only that, but it doesn't seem my hair is growing at all. I had it colored two weeks before Christmas, and no new growth is visible. My surgeon's staff keeps telling me I need to be better about getting my protein in, and I need to stick to three meals and no snacks meals. Well, that's difficult for me. Even a tiny meal takes me forever to eat...can't tell you the last time I finished a hot - or even warm - meal. And I feel like I get far less protein in. I find I do better eating small snacks throughout the day. Snacks include mini cucumbers, raw bell peppers, string cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, a couple of slices of low-sodium lunchmeat, tuna pouches, V8 juice, Builders Bars, beef jerky, etc. I add Unjury Powder (yuck!) to just about everything. I've also tried to make sure everything is SF and low sodium. When possible, I eat lots of chicken & fish, but I'm getting super tired of those things. I've come to realize I no longer enjoy food, whatsoever. I don't miss junk food (not that I ever really ate much of that anyway), but I miss going to a restaurant and ordering a meal to enjoy with my family. I take a couple of bites and am done - such a waste. My husband is a great cook, and I miss the meals he makes...I can't finish even the smallest filet, can only have a few bites of salmon, etc. I feel terrible when he cooks a beautiful, healthy meal and I can only have a few small bites. Anyway, sorry for the long post...just having a mini pity party for myself today.

Its important to measure out your food and I honestly never felt a lot of restriction with soft foods. I did however experience the nausea and cold sweats of dumping syndrome if I was eating too much at one time, the softer thinner the food the easier it will flow through the stomach quicker and cause you issues. Just use a measuring instrument and follow the recommended guidelines for starting out. I found thicker protien oatmeals, scrambled eggs mashed up, mashed cauliflower, greek yogurt with some pureed berries in it, pureed tuna fish and chicken salad things like that helped me recognize when my tummy was nearing its full mark better than the thinner soft foods did. Now I had R&Y tho not sleeve so I may have a bit smaller area to work with but message me anytime if you have any questions or jus wanna talk to a fellow gastric patient

Pretty much every day. Raspberries and blueberries with yogurt as part of breakfast or afternoon snack. Tomatoes (depending upon whether one classifies them as a fruit or a veg...) and avocado most every day in a lunch salad. Occasionally tangerines and grapefruit in the salad instead. My overall goal is for ten servings of fruit and veg per day - which I rarely hit but do consistently get 7-8, and 5 as a bare minimum. I'm ten years out, but it's been that way for at least the past 7-8 years, and lesser amounts but a similar ratio to other foods before that.

You've lost 18 pounds in 3 weeks? That is very good and well within the range of what you should expect. Most people lose 15-25 pounds in the first month, and you are already there. Keep up the good work and be patient! Are you taking Miralax or anything else for the constipation? You definitely want to head that off ASAP. Increasing your water intake should also help. Are you not allowed to eat salsa, avocado, or tomato sauce ever, or just for a certain period of time in the beginning? There are plenty of foods you can still eat, though. You should be able to eat eggs, cottage cheese, ground meats, canned tuna or chicken (Starkist makes a variety of flavored ones), canned or boiled fruits and vegetables, hummus, beans, Laughing Cow cheese... You also still have your purees: yogurt, sugar-free pudding, unsweetened applesauce, soups, protein oatmeal, etc.

I am almost 6weeks out and still have nausea daily, sometimes all day. I am now on 8mg of anti nausea medication. I also dry heave mostly in the morning, and am eatimg a very minimal amount of food as it makes me feel over full. I have found liquid yogurt,, and cottage cheese are my best options.. and water I don't really feel like drinking or it makes me gag.Just know you aren't alone in this, some of us are just unfortunate with the side affects. I do hope you get relief soon. Sent from my SM-N986U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

I have not eaten rice since my surgery. It is strongly discouraged, and I’ve seen a lot of people say that it’s painful to eat post-op because it absorbs water and swells in the stomach. I eat a lot of cauliflower rice. I hate cauliflower, but magically, I don’t mind cauliflower rice! I’m too lazy to make my own, so I buy it frozen. I wouldn’t eat it plain, but with sauce and mix-ins (like meat and other veggies), it is not a bad imitation of actual rice. It’s kind of an awesome food hack because not only is it avoiding carbs, it’s also sneaking in veggies. One of my go-to meals is cauliflower rice mixed with chicken, black beans, and salsa, topped with a little shredded cheese and fat free Greek yogurt.

100g chicken, 1 oz pickles, 1 oz grapes, 2oz Greek yogurt to dip the chicken into. Leftover, 1oz of the dip.

I went to a new surgeon for follow up since mine is far away and I had some questions I wanted a second option on. I told him that I take my vitamin at night with water but sometimes in the morning I can still taste it or burp and taste it. I said I have to eat all day to get in my 1400 calories and purposely eat yogurt and lots of milk as slider food. There's no way I can eat a cup of food 3x a day. He did a barium x-ray and said I have a bigger than normal pouch which was surprising since I feel like I can manage 1 cup of food at the most and often less but that it takes longer to empty. I am not sure if that is a partial stricture or just normal. He also said that I have a hockey stick or candy cane that comes off of the pouch and it is almost the size of my pouch. He said his practice does surgery different that the "old standard" and takes more of the blood supply form the top of the stomach as they have found that it can sometimes lead to the candy cane issue. He said it is normal for some people to have a blind area in their intestine like I do with the candy cane off the pouch. However he said we will watch it and that sometimes they have to go in and remove that portion. Could this be your issue? Did he do a barium x-ray? I have gotten sick maybe 5 times total in 2 years.

Are you still on liquids or are you allowed to have purees now? Purees give you a lot of options, especially once you get the unflavored protein powder. My favorite purees included: Unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon roll protein powder Triple zero yogurt with chocolate, vanilla, or birthday cake protein powder Sugar-free pudding with chocolate protein powder Protein oatmeal with cinnamon roll protein powder Pureed refried beans with unflavored protein powder, topped with enchilada sauce and Laughing Cow cheese Pureed black bean soup with unflavored protein powder I also ate a lot of sugar-free popsicles, fudgsicles, and Jello in the liquid and pureed stages.

Hi There, I have had something once....not sure it was dumping. I had a day where I ate and ate and ate....all goof stuff, but I was hungry! until I was full. And then I had gas and diarrhea. I did not throw up. I was not nauseated. I was not sweating. Just diarrhea....for about 2 hours off and on....and I think everything came out of me. I will take that any day over throwing up. I get hungry. I wait and make sure it is real hunger and not mental hunger. But I try not to wait too long or then I am famished and after 1 serving I am still hungry. I never feel full unless I eat too much which I very rarely do because I stop myself. If I didn't stop myself I could certainly eat more than I do. I only put a portion of food on my plate that I am allowed. 80% of the time I want more. But I don't allow myself. On my worst day of overeating I had 1424 calories and it consisted of (throughout the full day but most within a 4 hr period). I clearly was craving carbs as I have cut the carbs to very low! Organic Roasted pepper and tomato soup with 8 saltine crackers (total of 2 cups) 1/2 cup of almonds mini flavoured rice cakes (about 15 mini) Cabbage & ham I cup plain greek yogurt with 1/2 an apple Goldfish crackers about 30g 1 cup chicken broth with cabbage and ground veal After all that, I didn't gain...but in reality, 1424 calories is probably a normal day for the average normal person. So, If I have one of those every now and then and that is what I consider a pig out, I am ok with it! I just wont do it often because I don't want to stretch my new tummy.

I love those! I use them sort of like mini taco shells (with taco meat, lettuce, tomato, and plain Greek yogurt). The loaded taco flavor is also good for that. Have you tried the spicy sweet chili flavor? They have a lot of good reviews, but I haven't tried them because I've only seen them in an 8-pack and I don't want to buy that many when I don't know if I'll like them.

I'm just over a year out. I am not a big fan of most meats, so a piece of chicken or turkey and a veggie is just not something I enjoy, so I tend to do a lot of stews or mixes. I generally cook 2 a week then alternate lunch and dinner (I'm single and cooking for one). So my meal plan may look like: Breakfast: Protein coffee: Coffee with protein powder, collagen powder, fiber, a little half and half and sugar free torani Lunch: Ground turkey taco (no tortilla) - ground turkey, beans, onion and taco seasoning. I may add a little greek yogurt and cheese or I may not Dinner: Chicken "pot pie" - Chicken breast and veggies in broth with a little fairlife milk, thyme and dijon cooked into a creamy consistency. No crust. I only recently started snacking, and that may be 2 tbs of popcorn with a 1/2 T of butter and some low calorie flavoring added.

You can get half of your daily protein requirements in if you use milk and add yogurt and protein powder.

My doc said I had to wait 8 weeks. My standard "recipe" is milk (or milk substitute), some yogurt, a scoop of protein powder, a good handful of dark greens like kale or spinach, some berries, and half a banana. I also add 2 TB of frozen prickly pear juice with is super high in antioxidants.

This is so true!!! In the beginning I lived on shakes and greek yogurt. Ride it out as long as you can!! Best of luck to you!!!

I purchased Genepro unflavored powder to mix into foods, but I don't like the way it tastes. Even though it doesn't have added flavoring, it still has a taste and I find it unpleasant. I would not drink it in plain water. When adding protein powder into foods, I prefer to use flavored protein powder for sweet foods like yogurt, pudding, applesauce, and oatmeal. I only use Genepro in savory foods like soup, beans, and pureed vegetables.