Search the Community

I had VSG (2015) to RNY revision on January 18th due to GERD. I also had regained almost 70 pounds from my VSG post-op low weight. I've so far lost about 20 pounds since the pre-op diet & surgery. I need to lose another 20 pounds (for normal BMI) to 50 pounds (for calculated ideal body weight). I'm now on unrestricted food textures, and per my program's dietician, I'm supposed to be on my "maintenance" diet now. However, they refuse to discuss any calorie goals or macros other than protein. I'm someone who needs very clear goals and guidelines (thanks, long-undiagnosed ADHD), and I'm feeling very lost about what my diet should look like moving forward. The lifelong guidelines for my program, as I understand them: 60-80g protein per day Up to 4 oz. (1/2 cup) per meal, consisting of: Up to 3 oz. protein per meal Up to 1 oz. (total) veg, fruit, or starch per meal 3 meals per day 1 snack per day (the program guide I was given says 1-2, but per my surgeon I'm only allowed to have 1 snack per day and it has to be between lunch and dinner) - I have no guidelines for the amount I'm allowed for the snack. I assume it's not supposed to be as much food as the meals, but I don't know. Protein shakes/powders are frowned upon The only sample menu provided in my program guide is as follows: Breakfast: Egg omelet with sautéed peppers & onions Snack: Protein shake OR Greek yogurt with berries [removed per my surgeon's instructions] Lunch: Lettuce wrap with turkey and avocado/cheese [it is not clear to me if the / means avocado OR cheese, or avocado AND cheese, but I assume the former] Snack: Apple slices with 2 tablespoons nut butter OR carrots with hummus Dinner: Pesto chicken with spaghetti squash, sautéed spinach, and cherry tomatoes I plugged this menu into the Baritastic app to try and get a sense of what the calories and macros are supposed to look like. The sample menu gave no amounts other than the nut butter, so I used the 3 oz. protein + 1 oz. veg/fruit/starch rule. With the carrots & hummus snack option, here are the macros for the day: 593 calories 62g protein 32g fat 17g carbs (13g net carbs) 4g sugar 4g fiber And here are the apple & nut butter (I used natural peanut butter) macros for the day: 739 calories 67g protein 43g fat 21g carbs (16g net carbs) 8g sugar 5g fiber So from that, I'm extrapolating that I should be aiming for the following daily: 600-750 calories 60-80g protein 30-40g fat less than 25g carbs less than 10g sugar I have a few concerns... I have already been going well over those amounts at just over a month post-op. I've typically getting around 800-900 calories per day. It seems like a real struggle to get to the upper range of protein daily while sticking to the allowed amounts and without using any shakes or protein supplements. Even then, 80g seems low for a protein goal. I have never been a big meat eater (I was vegetarian through most of my teens and 20s), and I absolutely cannot stand any fish or seafood. I do eat a lot of dairy, eggs, and beans, but it seems like that's not going to do it. The standard daily fiber goal I've always heard is 25g per day. I've been getting about 12-15g per day right now, but knowing that I'm overeating and already having too many carbs means even that's not sustainable. I've struggled with post-op constipation... I have gotten to a much better place recently, but if I need to cut back to 4-5g of fiber per day to be within my other limits, I'm afraid of going backwards. That I'm limited to 1/2 cup of food per meal for the rest of my life came as a shock to me, as a revision patient. I knew that my pouch would be smaller than my sleeve, and like with my original surgery, the amount I'd be able to eat at one time would be very small initially. But with my sleeve (which was done by a different surgeon in a different program), there was definitely not the expectation that the amount I could/should eat at 1 month post-op would be the same as what I could/should be eating at 6 months or 1 year out. My bypass surgeon also told me that she left my pouch a little larger than normal so that I wouldn't lose too much additional weight, so my pouch is already larger than a regular bypass patient's. Do these amounts seem in line with other people's experiences? Or am I way off-base?

I was on clear liquids 3 days, then full liquids for the first 2 weeks post op! While I craved substantial food at 6 days, my stomach wasn’t anywhere near ready for pureed food. Started pureed on day 15 post op and will be on it until 4 weeks post op. Next stage is soft food (weeks 4-6). At 6 weeks post op, I can slowly transition to solids

Just hit 3 weeks post-op today. I’m also on 2oz purée food to be SLOWLY eaten over 30 minutes. At this stage, protein shakes no longer count towards water goal of 48-64oz. I have also still been hungry and felt like I needed more substance. Met with my surgeon yesterday and he said the hunger hormones are still adjusting in my body, and it may take a few more weeks to feel less hungry. Also, I know some of the hunger is mental. Some things that have helped me are to actually take 30 minutes to eat the 2oz- which is quite difficult for me to slow down that much. I also stick to 16oz of water slowly sipped until around 8am. Protein shake slowly sipped 10am-12pm (I started adding a serving of collagen peptides to my morning protein shake (my program says collagen peptides are not a complete source of nutrition, so should not be taken as a full meal)- this has put me at more calories and protein earlier in the day. Lunch around 2pm, dinner around 5:30/6pm, another protein shake or 1oz purée a little later if needed. Goal is 60-75 grams of protein

Try to work through the liquid diet and stay on it as recommended. Getting in 3 Protein shakes a day is pretty good, you're getting your protein in. I'm 3 weeks out from my surgery. Don't rush the soft foods, from my own experience you won't be able to eat much at all. It seemed like I could get in all the liquid I needed. Once I started soft food, I can barely get 1 measuring cup of food in. So you will need to drink one or two protein shakes a day to get in the protein you need with the food you can eat once you get to soft food phase. You won't be able to eat enough protein to get he recommended amount set by the dietician or whoever is directing you the recommended amount protein you need. I too lost weight before my surgery 70 lbs. Since my surgery I've only lost 7 lbs. Which is expected because of healing and getting the body back used to taking in soft foods again. You're doing really good, keep it up. Remember, when you do get to eat soft foods, take it slow. I've vomited only a couple times from getting to full. It's definitely different when you can only take a few bites and feel full. Wish you the best!

You will only get help and kindness here but we are not surgeons or dieticians. We can only help so much. We always recommend a visit with your team if possible. If you are not eating well and not getting enough liquids in then your body is holding every little calorie it can because you are in starvation mode. You will not loose weight, your body is in charge of this. If you can not get water down and you could a while back then you have a narrowing/ swelling in your new tummy and it needs a little easy tweak to stretch it back out. Its called a stricture. If this is something you have had from the beginning then you are forcing too much food and or drink in at once. Small sips of drinks, they can be hot, cold or frozen see which might work . Once you have mastered drinking, then pare down the foods to really soft, protein based ones again. Chew well and add sauces, it helps. Soft eggs, protein yogurt, soft cheese etc. Only eat a small amount, say 1 - 2 ounces and see if you can keep the foamies at bay. Foamies happen when your stomach rejects the food or drink it does not want that day. It may have been ok the day before but.... today, oh no you are not putting any more of that in me ... I haven't exercised as such, I was too decrepit too start with and I lack motivation now so I walk a few miles a week. Exercise doesn't really count for much weight loss unless its marathon running or such.

The purée/mush foods may be too heavy in your poor tummy & digestive system. Stick to the liquids for a couple of weeks. 2 weeks liquids, 2 weeks purée, 2 weeks soft, 2 weeks solid food is the most common post surgical eating plan but plans differ so check with your team. You’ve had a pretty major surgery & there are lots of staples & sutures holding your digestive system together. Nausea is quite common so ask for an anti nausea prescription or buy an over the counter version. We heal differently but generally it takes a good 8 weeks to fully heal so tread slowly & carefully. I wonder if you have an UTI from the catheter? It’s not unusual to have no other symptoms except a change in peeing habits. Best to see your doctor & have a urine test to be sure. And grab some cranberry tablets too.

Almost 5 years & yes, I do. There are certain foods that simply are too heavy in my tummy. Breads, pasta, rice I’m looking at you. I try a bite of bread every now & again just to see but nope not for me. (Don’t really miss them at all & I used to eat them often). I also have times when something I’m eating unexpectedly sits too heavily. Unexpected because I’ve eaten it before without an issue & I’ll eat it again easily. Though it is nice to know my restriction is still active. And yes I still have bouts of the foamies. I think I’ve a more sensitive tummy & esophagus but I had a sensitive tummy before surgery so nothing really new just a little different. I’ve accepted them & think of these as things that are just quirky to me: makes me more special than I already am - LOL! Doesn’t really restrict or limit me in any way. Can be a little annoying at times of course but easily manageable. And much like @The Greater Fool, some days I eat all of my meal & another I may not. Doesn’t matter. I love left overs. They mean I may only be reheating my dinner tonight not cooking from scratch. I’ll be snacking on my left over rolled oats breakfast later this afternoon. I also focus on protein & vegetables too & honestly after that I couldn’t eat anything else. Oh yes, also female, though late 50s, 5’3” & not active,& have maintained (apart from a 2kg medication glitch 2.5yrs ago but I lost that when we sorted it). Congratulations on maintaining too. Who hoo!

It really is amazing to see how all the different doctors approach the pre diet, surgery, out patient vs hospital stay, post diet length of phases, what you can eat, what you can't in each phase. Of course we probably all think / hope that our own doc is doing it right. I'm trying hard to follow my doctor's course, even though when I read where some of you are, it gets difficult. Had first puree tonight (cheated by starting 12hrs early.. Oh well!) It was really good but really surprising how different your stomach reacts to it. I was definitely full after a few teaspoons as compared to eating pudding. I have a nutribullet, so you really end up making many servings so there's enough volume to puree. The mental part of the recovery has been awful. Hoping that being on the puree for the next two weeks will start to bring up the mood. FYI.. My insurance doesn't cover a nutritionist/dietician. Some of my doctor's dietician appts are considered part of the procedure and thus discounted cost. I paid almost nothing for the procedure itself, but not the dietician part. I looked online and found Health Loft. Many insurances cover them, including mine. They advertise as services for eating disorders, but they also have specialists for bariatric. It's virtual. Now I can use a dietician and get some counseling for many more visits as I try to change my life. Even though I've known for decades how I should be eating, I need all the help I can get.

Hi! I was wondering if anyone who is 5+ years since surgery is still experiencing any issues? I find that when I eat certain foods, much like when I was about a year or so out, that I have a feeling of being too full and can’t keep the food down. It isnt all the time. And it isnt really if I eat too much or too fast. I still eat pretty small meals at any given time and typically just eat 6 or so very small meals. An example would be if I eat pasta, maybe 1/3 to 1/2 a cup may feel unbearable and too full and can’t keep the pasta down. It could be something random like a handful of jelly belly jelly beans. I would say it happens maybe 1 a week? Just curious if anyone else has this issue. I have done well at keeping the weight off since the surgery and have hovered around 130-140 for the past 2 years. I am fairly active 50’s, 5’5 female. Thanks!!

Kosher pickles and the pickle juice were the saving grace for me. They were not on the approved food list but based on the nutritional information should be unless the patient is on an extreme sodium restriction diet. I confessed my addition to my doctor and amazingly pickles are now included on the group's pre-op diet.

Hi there! I just had my surgery last Monday on February 19th! I am on day 8, and honestly, im starting to feel almost back to normal! Struggling with the fact that I can't eat anything other than soup and pudding despite being so so hungry. Everything has been going down really good. I have had no issues getting in protein. I have 3 premier protein shakes a day, which equals to 90g of protein. I just wish I could eat soft foods like mashed potato and eggs. But my nurse practitioner wants me to stay on the liquid diet for another 3 weeks. YEAH RIGHT, hahah im going to be introducing some foods next week I think. I can't wait any longer. I am so hungry! I hope you have a speedy recovery from surgery! If you need any advice or have any questions, I am always here for you! Heaviest Weight: 376 - April 2023 Weight on day of surgery: 291 - February 2024 Total lbs lost before surgery: 85 lbs Current weight (1 week after surgery): 280 Total lbs lost since April: 96 lbs Im so close to meeting my 100 lbs down goal!!

Hi there! I just had my surgery last Monday on February 19th! I am on day 8, and honestly, im starting to feel almost back to normal! Struggling with the fact that I can't eat anything other than soup and pudding despite being so so hungry. Everything has been going down really good. I have had no issues getting in protein. I have 3 premier protein shakes a day, which equals to 90g of protein. I just wish I could eat soft foods like mashed potato and eggs. But my nurse practitioner wants me to stay on the liquid diet for another 3 weeks. YEAH RIGHT, hahah im going to be introducing some foods next week I think. I can't wait any longer. I am so hungry! I hope you have a speedy recovery from surgery! If you need any advice or have any questions, I am always here for you!

I spoke with the nurse last night and tomorrow I get to begin the soft proteins phase, which will be one week post-op. I'm going to the grocery store tonight. I will have to start separating food and liquids, waiting 30 minutes after drinking to eat and then 30-60 minutes after eating to drink. This is going to be a challenge because it takes me forever to drink anything. Part of the problem is I am developing an aversion to my protein shakes and anything sweet or artificially flavored. I think it's time to start making use of my unflavored protein and Greek yogurt to make my own shakes because the commercial stuff is just tasting terrible. Soft proteins include cottage cheese, string cheese, ricotta, flaky white fish, ground poultry, refried beans, tuna salad, eggs, yogurt, and tofu. My eating schedule when I begin soft proteins will be: Breakfast soft protein 16-20oz fluid plus a protein shake between breakfast and lunch Lunch soft protein 16-20 oz fluid plus a protein shake between lunch and dinner Dinner soft protein 16-20 oz fluid plus a protein shake after dinner/before bed

Whoa, be careful with the salt, It will dehydrate you more. If I could suggest something, get some cranberry juice and get as much down you as possible. Its great for bladder issues. Lots of us are not allowed food for a few weeks and I know that until I got onto real solid food and anti nausea tablets that I suffered terribly.

I could also use some soft food recipes. What did you love at this stage?

Starting soft food diet today. I was approved 1 cup of coffee if tolerated. It was enjoyable while I drank it, but definitely NOT tolerated! Burning in my stomach and intestines. Any suggestions for coffee substitute other than tea? Has anyone tried those mushroom coffees?

Gastric bypass revision from sleeve. I am doing liquid IV and trying the best I can to drink shakes and eat mush food. Not working out well. I am drinking. Still nausea. Is this the usual for a lot or am I in a bit of trouble. I was at er for urinary issue and they did scan said all looked good. Still going every ten minutes and just a little comes out. I guess it’s time to call doc. It’s a bit overwhelming. Praying for best outcome

I want to thank everyone for the kind words and provide an update. I had my one-year post op doctor appointment yesterday. It went well and they were happy with the results. I still need to get blood work done, which I will do tomorrow. The blood work is probably the most important part of the visit, so I am hopeful that everything is right with it. I have had the 'normal' hurdles over the last 16-months that everyone has to deal with, and I am very thankful for little to no complications. I feel for those that have had more challenging journals, since I have been so lucky. Again, I want to stress that I am not special or unique. I hope someone out there might read this and it helps them in some way. It is hard work to lose weight no matter how you do it. It requires mentally reprograming how you have lived your entire life and making physical choices to match, but it can be done. Tons of success stories in this group are proof. Stay positive and go day by day with it. Stay off the scale and celebrate the non-scale victories. My wife and two kids have been so supportive: everything from education to food prep to walking with me to listening and talking about the process. Not an easy process, but because of their support it has been much easier. I am so grateful for the changes they made to support me. I will probably never be able to express that to them at the level it deserves it. I have never been happier. My wife attended the appointment with me yesterday and the update went as follows. I started in 9/2022 at 514-lbs. I had my surgery in 2/2023 at 488-lbs. My weight yesterday was 254-lbs. Its official I am truly half the man I was compared to the start of this program. Weight loss is different for all, especially someone that started as big as me, but it was great seeing those results. My 'ideal weight" connected to my 'normal' BMI would require me to loss another 80-lbs. I told my doctor from the beginning that I never cared about being skinny or normal and that has not changed. I wanted to improve my quality of life by being less huge. I wanted to be able to participate in activities with my family. I am happy to say I have achieved that goal! I am not done yet! This is not a diet -- it is a lifetime change! I do not care if I ever become 'normal,' but slowly losing and not gaining is the only plan. The future holds unlimited possibilities for me and my family. Future goals for me are to increase my exercise plan by adding strength training as priority number one. My second goal is to continue to try new 'healthy' foods that I may or may not like but expanding my options for more variety and balance helps me stay on plan. I will finish by saying if anyone has questions or thoughts, especially those big boys out there, feel free to ask and I will provide more detail about my experience. I am no expert, and we all have different programs, so I can only share my experience, if that can be of help to anyone. Good luck to all with your own personal journeys.

@Kmgaustin I also wonder the same thing. But, if you cant take it with water... have you ever tried with a small amount of pudding or yogurt to take your medicine? I used to have to do that because I couldn't swallow pills. Seems like it might help if you needed to take them with a meal and it gets the pills down. I wonder since I take Abilify and it helps to absorb Abilify when taken with food and fat. So Yogurt or protein pudding might help take it. Just a thought. I'll be looking for updates on this topic.

Hey!! You are a little over 2 weeks post op. Burping and feeling bloated are quite normal. As the internal swelling goes down these will ease (unless you chug water, then you'll feel bloated for sure! LOL). It isn't unusual to feel like things are creeping up your esophagus, right now everything is very swollen in there and that leads to a pressurized feeling. It can feel like water and food take forever to go down, or that they go down a bit and then start trying to crawl back up, before going down again. I had all these issues. I also had this thing where every time I drank something I could feel the fluid displacing air in my digestive tract, causing burping and then this trickling, gurgling feeling AND sound as the fluid tracked down into my stomach. It sounded like liquid going down a drain you just unclogged. It was weird as hell. LOL It lasted for the first month until the swelling went down enough inside to make more space. Fluids for another week are not going to hurt you. When you say fluids do you mean strict liquids only like milk and water? Or are you including shakes, pudding, yogurt, and so on? I was on strict fluids only for 2 weeks, no yogurt or puddings and I wasn't even able to stomach a real protein shake for the first month. I was not able to get any protein down the first two weeks without intense stomach spasms. The surgeon said that was not unusual at all. After the first two weeks we were supposed to introduce thin purees for the third week, and he told me I could have really soft fish and soft eggs. I hated purees. Yogurt sat too heavy. I still couldn't do jello. Sugar free pudding was a no too. I could do protein water, milk, a little bit of soft pureed egg, and weirdly enough, a little soft fish chewed well. At the 4th week we were told to progress to soft solids, but it took me another week before I was able to consistently. I had to be very gradual about my food progression. My team said that was perfectly fine, everyone's pace is a little different, just be sure to keep them posted on your progress as you go and follow their advice, but without forcing yourself to eat things your tummy doesn't feel ready for. You sound like you are right on schedule. ❤️

i know several people (including myself*) who have used Ozempic and/or Mounjaro, all with great results (read: all lost probably an average of 10-15 lbs with little reported effort. From an observers point of view, it *looks* like most slowly gain weight back when discontinuing use. but some seem to keep the weight off (but it's early still so time will tell). *i seem to be part of the latter group. i took my mom's leftover Ozempic for a month in April last year (shes a diabetic and takes less than she's prescribed cuz she doesn't like how it makes her hate food...and yes i know i shouldn't be taking someone elses meds! dont judge me! it was in the name of science, ok??? 😂 ) i lost about 7 lbs by the end of it, and gained back 2-3 lbs a couple months later. to clarify, i was 122 when i stated in April, 4 weeks later i was 115, and i've hovered between 114-118 since then to today. long story short, the stuff WORKS. but you will likely experience regain without significant lifestyle changes when u stop. or not. who knows? 🤷🏻‍♀️

It can take a week if not longer for the first BM - there's not a lot in there because you haven't eaten solid food in a while. But that first one can be a doozy, so it might not be a bad idea to start taking a stool softener - or as NickelChip suggested, maybe some Benefiber. and as ms.sss said, for many of us, constipation becomes a chronic issue. I've been taking a capful of Miralax every morning for almost nine years to keep on top of it.

Hello. I had a conversion from the gastric sleeve (2017) to the bypass on 1/8/24. I should start regular foods this week, however, I am at the pureed thin phase as once I incorporate foods with any weight or texture, such as oatmeal, scrambled eggs, finely blended chicken (not pureed), the food feels stuck in my esophagus and I am vomiting froth and mucous (not the food). Has anyone else experienced this? I have contacted my surgeon, seeing her Wednesday as she was on vacation last week, I have spoken with my dietitian and the center for weight loss and they believe that my esophagus is having spasms. Has anyone else experienced this? I have simply gone back to full liquids as I had no problems with that.

why yes, i do know! lol. i was/am one of those "diligent" trackers so i have over 5 yrs of food log data to statisticize, ha! on AVERAGE: weeks 1-2: 400 cals a WEEK...this was a weird time. week 3 to about 3 mnths: 400-500 cals A DAY. months 4-6: 600-700 cals a day month 7: 800-ish cals a day at this point made efforts to increase cals and by 9 months i was at about 1700-1800 cals a day. 2-3 years post-op was 2300+ a day cuz i was exercising heavily. today im at 1800-ish a day with moderate exercise (been at this calorie level for 2-ish yrs now)

I was also not a fan of the pureed phase so I mostly stuck with Chobani zero greek yogurt, they have some really great flavors. I ate cottage cheese with some favorite pasta sauce. Tuna with mayo and pickle juice helped, chewed very well. Adding spices to things really helped also. Hopefully this will just be a phase for right now, maybe the dissonance between the brain and the stomach? My body tells me I need fuel, my stomach doesn't want any food, and my brain wants spicy indian food. It's getting easier.