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Hello everyone. I am post-op, had my first doctor's visit one month ago and scheduled for my second on 04/19. I am doing my best to read all of the literature provided to me as well as what I can find online. I am struggling with the thought of pureeing food. I just don't think I could bring myself to consume meat, vegetables or eggs that have been pureed. It sounds disgusting! Is this something that is a MUST or can we supplement with protein drinks? All input is appreciated. :0)

Like weight loss before and after photos but of your new diet ! I'm especially interested in before and after meal photos (take a pic at the point you feel restriction) but it can be of recipe substitutions, your refrigerator/pantry/shopping cart/etc VSG2017 HW 249 SW 238 CW 167

So I'm a little more than 2 years out and for probably the last 6-8 weeks, I've gotten to where I just don't really enjoy eating most things. I'd say 90% of what I'm eating, I eat because I know I need to eat, not because I particularly enjoy it. Most things just taste off somehow to me, including things I used to really enjoy. I'm wondering if any other folks had anything similar happen? I will preface this by saying there's a possibility this is medication related, as I think I made a change to my meds about that same time. I'm investigating that separately.

Hi all, I am struggling with what to eat for the stage 2 diet which is soft/pureed foods. what are some tasty things? fulfilling? Let me know Thanks!

Hello everyone.... So my husband is supportive of my going through with a Rou-en-Y Gastric Bypass, and I'm so close to getting a date; after April 2nd I should be good to go. He happens to be a chef and lately he has been telling me that "they are selling this surgery to me", which is not okay. I think he is really telling me that he fears that I will change so much and my diet is changing so drastically already that when he cooks, he cooks out of love, and always wants to make me happy. Food has always made me happy. I tell him that I can still eat whatever he makes, I just won't be able to eat a huge plate of his lasagna, maybe 1/4th of what a "serving" would be. This of course is causing me to question my decision to go through with something that I have been researching for the last 4 years. I finally decided to have it to lose the weight that my orthopedic surgeon said I had to lose so that I could actually get a new hip, which I need desperately. So, this is not to look like Barbie for me, it is so that I can have hip surgery, a health related situation, and may cure my diabetes as well, two-for-one perhaps? Bottom line, am I right by thinking that he equates food with love, and therefore fears my changes and his inability to show his love for me? Looking forward to answers, questions, thoughts, anything.....

Hey guys, The last few days have been super hard I just want to eat all the time I feel so empty! I know its mainly head hunger and at nearly 8 weeks out it is my mind fighting against the changes I have made. I miss eating more! I have had slight cravings for junk food lately but I will not eat it because I know it will do me absolutely no good and it will make me worse off. I haven't eaten any of it since before my surgery and have no plans to in the future. As a recovering food addict a little bite would be a massive trigger to eat way too much and I can't deal with that. I know I have been addicted to food pretty much my whole life but I honestly didn't think that my addiction was as bad as it clearly is. I don't regret having the surgery and having lost 2 stone 6lbs is amazing in such a short time, it's just so hard to get used to the huge life change. I am all in and will continue eating healthy unprocessed food because my body loves it and I feel so much better physically. It's taking my mind a long time to catch up though and I'm struggling. I have heard plenty of ideas about finding a hobby and doing things to focus my mind away from food but I need to face up to my food demons and learn to live with them. I don't want to avoid these feelings coming up, they need to be dealt with. So I journal when it gets too much and I post on here too. I'm just looking for some one who understands how I feel and who can tell me it gets better! Thanks again guys x

Ok, so my pre Op plan allows for free grazing on low carb veggies, salad items etc, and one serve of healthy fat per day. So rather than munch on celery orcarrot sticks (which I do also love) I thought why not make them into a faux wrap with Lettuce and avo. I only ate one with broth for lunch, but wow it was great! Anyone else getting a bit creative with their diet?

What soft foods did you eat ?

Hi guys, I've been very up and down with my emotions on this journey I have taken only 6 weeks ago. I am struggling mentally with intrusive food thoughts and I am coming to terms with just how serious a problem I had around food and still do, its early days. I know many of you have been through the same struggles emotionally. I was just looking for your experiences to reassure me that I'm not alone in this and that things will get better. I don't regret having the sleeve because I am feeling so much better health wise, I'm just struggling! I don't eat or crave junk food anymore, I just miss eating and my mind is telling me I'm hungry when I know I'm not! Thank you for hearing me out again! x

I am really struggling with tracking my food. I have tried many different trackers, both digital and paper but I just can’t seem to stick to it. I have ADHD, time blindness and object impermanence (out of sight out of mind). The crazy thing is that even when I eat, I do not think “Oh I need to write this down” never. It just doesn’t occur to me. I recently switched to clear acrylic tumblers because I still wasn’t meeting my water goals. I bought (2) 40 ounce tumblers so I only have to refill it once. This has been working for me. The goal is 64 ounces of water per day so if I don’t completely finish the refill as long as I get below 1/2 on the second round I am good. Switching to the acrylic tumblers helped with my out-of-sight-out-of-mind issues so now I can see exactly how much water is in the tumbler as opposed to others where I had no idea… it’s just a bottle… wonder how much is in it? LOL I have a huge aversion to meticulous counting. I bought Japanese-style condiment dishes to use as plates/bowls to control portion sizes. They hold approximately 3 oz of food. I also purchased multiple sets of pretty “toddler” flatware that matched my regular flatware… it’s just smaller…. This controls my “bite size”. So, how I do go about hacking my brain to be able to track food? Because even if I do remember to do it at the end of the day, it is inevitable that I will miss something or not remember exactly how much I ate. The memory clarity/issues are a daily struggle. I struggle using digital apps with my all or nothing brain. I have an iPhone and iPad and use native apps like Reminders, Notes and Calendar to move through the day. I really don’t want one.more.app.to.keep.up.with… but I am willing to try if someone has found something that works for spicy brains. Does anybody else struggle with this? How did you work through it?

What did a daily day look like? Mine is mainly chicken nuggets and string cheese both because of restriction and limited recipes despite searching When did you have bread? Even low carb? The only I found is sarah Lee? Low carb tortilla? Did you start eating out? What were your favorite bariatric friendly go to?

Today (January 16th) is my birthday. 🥳 This year I opted out of the birthday dinner’s I’m usually taken to by friends and family. I am 40 days post op and while I am now in the “eat whatever I can phase” ofc I’m following the low carb / high protein / no sugar diet I’m advised to follow by my bariatric nutritionist. So for my birthday this year, I didn’t want to go to a restaurant knowing I can’t eat too much food right now + I didn’t want to be tempted by restaurant foods. But I did want to know if anyone else had surgery close to their birthday like me and if so, did you allow yourself a birthday treat? Like a cupcake 🧁? I haven’t had sugar (other than my protein shakes and yogurts) since late November so idk how it will affect my stomach either but I was thinking of just getting a little birthday cupcake 🧁 for myself tomorrow. I’d love to hear others input or experience. Thanks! ☺️

I've always loved a little kick to my eats, but about a year post-op it hit me that I ONLY desire to eat foods which are spicy. Mexican, Thai food, and everything in between! Last time I had pizza it was pepperoni with jalapenos, I then showed it in red peppers, then even put sriracha on it! Any one else feel an affinity for spicy food post-op? I wonder why this is.. (definitely not pregnant)

Just wondering if anyone has experience using one of those 'Baby food maker' appliances to make the pureed food after VSG surgery? They are quite cheap on Amazon.ca and look very easy to use - I know if there is lots of effort involved I will find it hard make a varied diet of pureed foods.

Add gravy or stock when you puree any chicken, beef, etc. It will help keep it to at least a nice dollopy texture and will boost the flavour. Honestiy for the two weeks I ate mostly the same things. It was only two weeks so I could put up with to the limited variety. I pureed a few things but many tasted quite repulsive to me. Plus I wasn’t all that interested in food or eating. I mostly survived on instant oats, yoghurt, extra soft scrambled eggs & soups. I’m surprised by the no fruit or vegetables too. Coarse or fibrous ones are a big no as are any seeds or skins but certainly any you can blend to a smooth puree are usually fine. Think apple sauce, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, potatoes, tomato puree (for flavour) etc. Plans can be different but may be ask for more clarification from your team. All the best.

Hi all! New to the forum and this site. So, I just had roux en y gastric bypass on Monday, and I'm feeling a bit lost, scared, and anxious. I'm so worried I'll never be able to enjoy some of my favorite foods again. I guess I didn't realize that gastric bypass was so restrictive. My Dr recommend it because I have trouble with heartburn and said this would be a good option. I guess I'm just looking for encouragement - if I know I can have some of my favorite foods at some point down the road, I'd feel a lot better, but everything I look up seems like I can never eat again. Do any of you have experience eating any of the following foods sparingly, or are they gone from my life forever? Tacos, mac and cheese, ice cream, chips and queso or guac, falafel, pad thai? Please know I am aware these are not healthful food choices and my love for these foods got me to where I am today, but can I ever eat them again in any capacity? Thanks for your kindness to this emotionally struggling newbie. I'm scared I made the wrong choice and just reaching out to the void for people who have experienced these panicky feelings. Thanks!

Honestly the variation in post op dietary advice never ceases to amaze me. I had very few rules - 2 weeks liquid, 2 weeks puree were I think the only guidance I was given. I got most of my information here! I am an outlier in that I adored the puree phase. My first proper food, not yucky protein shakes, for about 2 months. My pre-op 800 calorie a day diet had to be extended when my surgery date was cancelled and I had to be in a state of preparation for a cancellation (that took weeks!) I made family dinner and then just pureed that in a blender with extra gravy. No fibrous veg but I had everything else. I hope you can make it through.

You should find out what your diet plan is before buying and thinking about food for the post op period. Some have liquids for 11 days then they are on full liquids, then they go to puree foods and then there are others that are on protein only diets before they are checked out by their nutritionists. There are a wide variety of diets, and several people are giving you food choices and advice, I refer you to your team for the post op period of time, it takes a bit of time before you can eat all foods, in smaller amounts. So be careful with other's advice.

Ever since switching to more of a plant based diet, I've noticed some positive changes. For one, its been easier to stay hydrated. I eat quite a few vegetables daily that have the highest Water content of any food. Below is an interesting article that lists such foods. Cucumbers just happen to be number 1 since they are about 98% water. I actually find that I crave cucumbers and apple cider vinegar during the day. Apple cider vinegar is wonderful for vitality and overall health. I've already written a long post about it a few months back, but I do recommend it for decreasing hunger and increasing energy. Ever since hitting goal, I've grown respect for fresh fruits and vegetables. The surgery has perhaps made them more appealing? Anyone else notice this? http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/list-fruits-vegetable-high-water-content-8958.html

When you guys log your food into the tracking apps when do you weigh or measure food. For instance meat weighs the most out of freezer and the least after it’s cooked. I assume I’m not supposed to input the frozen weight but do I use the thawed weight or the cooked weight. Also with like rice, do I enter the dry measurement or the cooked one which is twice as much. Further for like veggies would I measure in cups before or after it’s cooked?? Just trying to be the most accurate I can but these seem to make pretty big differences.

So I am day 6 into soft food and I am very quickly remembering how much food I wasted with my sleeve since my hubby eats like a bird too and it’s just us. I am going to try freezing stuff this time. I made Turkey meatballs and lean beef chili and froze them already but I’m wondering if I can freeze the Turkey Taco filling I made last night. I assume the Guacamole and Pico I will just have to make less next time but I would like to at least freeze the meat if I can. Is there a trick to it or will the freezer ziplocks work?

What to do when food gets stuck? I ate this morning and it feels like its still there!! Stuck right in my chest area!! Should I go vomit!! I can't take this feeling!!! HELP!!!

Ok...so...when you have a food allergy, even a "mild" one, take it seriously. I'm allergic to peanuts and shellfish. With shellfish, it's literally life and death. I can't even be in the room when it's being cooked because the proteins in the air set me off. It's really that bad. I go into anaphylactic shock and I was told if it happens 1 or 2 more times, I could very likely die. So...no shellfish, which breaks my heart because me an crab legs...omg. Love affair for the ages. But peanuts.....that's not bad like shellfish. My mistake was comparing it to the shellfish. I was told my shellfish allergy is the worst case my doctor has ever seen. So comparing anything to it is not smart. But that's what my stupid a$$ did. I forgot that every time I eat something I'm allergic to the reaction gets worse. Well, I'll never EVER forget it now. I ate 2 Kind bars. I bought them because there was no mention of peanuts (ordered them from the Starbucks app). Only mentioned almonds. YUMMY!!! We love almonds. WooHoo!!! Hubby goes to get my Kind bars and my drink and comes back and tells me there's peanuts in them. I think "well, there's not a huge amount because there's more than 1 kind of nut, and my reaction has always been fairly mild, so I should be ok" (tingles in my lips and tongue, slightly nauseous and mildly light headed, but over in 15 or 20 minutes) so I figured I could eat them and deal with the reaction for maybe 30 minutes or so and then be on my way. WRONG!!!!! To be fair, hubby said I shouldn't eat them but I did anyway. Within 10 minutes of eating them, my usual symptoms set in. Ok, I was ready for that. Within another 10 minutes, the nausea got worse, I got super shaky, and the light headedness increased. Sucks, but still not the end of the world. 10 minutes later, the absolute sharp, stabbing pain in my stomach started. It hurt so bad I couldn't catch my breath and I couldn't stand up straight. It increasingly got worse and worse. I couldn't sit, stand, or lay comfortably at all. It took 30 minutes for it to get this bad. I dealt with it for an hour, then the throwing up started. And throwing up. And throwing up. OMG... Once I was done and brushed my teeth, I went and laid down and fell asleep until now (3:30am). I slept for about 6 hours (not peacefully, but still slept). I feel a lot better except I'm weak, tired, and a little nauseous still. Hoping to go back to sleep soon. But let this be a reminder that even MILD food allergies can escalate out of nowhere and become major ones. Anything peanut related is like the devil as far as I'm concerned. Now I know I have a major peanut allergy and will NEVER even think about testing it out again. Hoping to feel better soon because OMG this is absolute bull$%#t!!!.

Hi - Protein shakes were driving me NUTS. I am at the very end of full liquids and beginning to introduce pureed food. However my purees are on the liquidier side because it is what I can handle. You can add less liquid to this recipe if your tummy can handle thicker stuff. I was so wanting something savory. I've been basically living off premier protein chocolate shakes and broth based soups with flavorless protein added (for awhile this was truly all I could handle otherwise I would feel quite ill) but - now I am trying more things gradually. Note - this serves probably like 6-8 servings? Maybe more? I haven't measured. I just eat a few spoonfuls and don't over-do it. Ingredients 🔸4 hard boiled eggs 🔸1.5 tbsp mayo (I used chosen foods - because it's paleo and doesn't have inflammatory oils - I was paleo before surgery and before pre-op even to help manage my PCOS symptoms) 🔸1 stalk celery chopped 🔸A dash of Himalayan Pink Salt 🔸A dash of Onion Salt (I used Trader Joe's brand) 🔸1/4C Pickle Juice (this is the liquidy element that helped me) Directions 🔹 Throw everything into the blender and blend until completely smooth. 🔹 Store and refrigerate. I tend to eat 2 oz servings at a time. Additional notes - you can probably add more seasoning to this if you're able to tolerate. Since I am so early on I wanted to keep it very simple and easy to digest. I loved loved loved this meal. Hope yours turn out great 👍

Wow so restrictive on the veg, did the doctor tell you why? I have never heard of that before, I was made have veg from day one on liquids by way of soup. If your bariatric team are not going to allow you veg (fruit I can understand being a no) then surely they should provide you with a bit of a menu guide, my team gave me recopies and food lists for each stage, and veg and even fruit were allowed throughout by way of a slow reintroduction. In the puree stage I had a homemade bolognese (though it had tomatoes and bit of carrot) and chili con carne (again has tomatoes but pureed right down so might be ok for you depending on why you are so restricted) and the kidney beans are a good protein, dhal. What about some hummus, can get different flavoured ones to kick up the flavour a bit? Omelets that you can then add seasoning/spices to?