I have developed a lactose problem since being sleeved on May 6. My stomach just gets all upset and it lasts for about 24 hours. Luckily it isn't worse than that, but it is really hindering my diet. I need to start advancing my diet but I am afraid to simply because it seems EVERYTHING has milk in it! Even a few bites of toast upsets it. I'm super picky about my food, so things are really getting hard.

Who else has this problem? I feel like I am the only one dealing with that on top of recovering. I need some tips, suggestions, anything. I'd even be happy with someone else with the issue to talk to. Help? Anyone? lol

Also, has anyone with a mild lactose intolerance tried the Lactaid pills? I wonder if they're even worth the money.

I had a real problem post op and was miserable until I finally figured out it was the dairy. I was horribly frustrated (there's probably a grumbly post from me circa 2010 about it) because I had incredible restriction and couldn't eat much meat so I was relying on dairy for about 80% of my Protein intake.

Lactaid did nothing for me - not the pills and not the actual Lactaid products like cottage cheese or milk.

You are most assuredly not alone. I did not expect intolerance post op but I did discover that it's not uncommon.

I had to do a few things. One - just eat more often. My meals transitioned from three tiny meals to pretty much grazing on small meals all day long. No junk and not the same kind of grazing that gets us in trouble prior to surgery. But I could not eat enough otherwise. I'd log my meals on MFP in the morning and eat until ten at night if I had to in order to consume my 500 calories and my 75-90 grams of protein.

Two, I had to work (and hard!) to find a lactose free Protein shake I could tolerate. I started mixing with Water, tea and coffee instead of milk. I really don't care for commercial soy or almond milk and got tired of mixing with hemp milk. I would sometimes make my own soy milk and use that to mix. Certain varieties of Protein powder taste good mixed with juice, but I'd be careful with that because it's easy to go overboard on juice. Being able to drink at least half of my protein really helped me. I am three years out next month and I still like to have a Protein Drink each day to keep my protein high (I aim for 80-90 grams a day).

Three - just find those other foods you enjoy that will give you the protein you need. Branch out of your old eating habits. You will likely find that your tastes are changing, anyway.

Look for breads with Kosher certification that say they're P or pareve - they'll contain no dairy. And of course, no butter to cook your food - there's a Smart Balance spread out there that's also pareve that you can use in it's place. You'll find that even margarine contains dairy in most cases.

The good news? My intolerance faded dramatically within the first year. Sometime during the first year I realized I could eat hard cheeses again. By the second year I was okay with just about any dairy, in small portions, except ice cream.

The only foods I really have to avoid now are ice cream (even the lactose free ice cream kills me) and any dish that contains a lot of heavy cream. Those are foods I'd only consider an occasional treat, anyway, so this is no hardship for me. I can even eat cottage cheese and yogurt again!

Good luck,

~Cheri

I also developed lactose intolerance post-op. Not as harsh as some, I could tolerate powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury chicken Protein powder immediately. Unjury products are marketing as some of the easiest to tolerate. Within two weeks I could also tolerate GNC Gold Standard whey protein in French vanilla Creme and fat free Greek yogurt by Chobani or Fage. Within a month I could also eat hard cheeses when I was cleared for them. 've learned to like Soy Milk. I prefer 8th Contintent Plain because its fairly low calorie and high protein. I mixed my vanilla protein powder with soy milk or Starbucks instant decaf coffee and Water. I didn't try the lactaid pills and I did not like the lactaid milk.

At two years out, I still haven't tried cottage cheese again (not high on my list of fav foods anyway). I can occasionally have ice cream, skim milk or soft cheeses, just not a lot and not often.

Lynda

I also became Lactose Intolerant. It was miserable until I finally figured it out! I am now almost 8 months out and this past week I had a yogurt parfait from Subway, cottage cheese and cheddar cheese without any problems. I heard that this could be temporary so that is why I tried these foods. I only try one dairy a day. Unjury protein was the only thing my stomach could tolerate. I took a sip of a milk shake from In and Out and it did not take long before I knew that was just too much for my stomach! Hopefully yours will only be temporary! Good luck

Thank you for the input ladies! I knew that I wasn't alone, and that it could be an issue post op. I am in a great group of May sleevers on facebook, and none of them have issues with lactose. I was just starting to feel alone and frustrated! I can't just try this recipe, or that shake. I wandered the grocery store for an hour Saturday night just trying to find some new ideas to expand my options, and walked away without much.

Fortunately I can handle unjury, and I make it with Fat Free Lactaid. I use the chocolate flavor, and add some PB2. It masks the little bit of different flavor from the Lactaid. That has been a huge portion of my Protein each day. I have also found a few types of cheese that are lactose free. My tastes are still changing every few days, so it is an endless battle to find food! lol

Last week I got the OK for my diet to be more or less restricted, within reason. I am going out of town for a long weekend for the fourth of July, so I am trying to test more foods to see what I can handle. The last thing I want to do is get sick there! (I do know that my purse will be full of Clif and Luna bars though)

Cheri- I didn't even think to look for Kosher bread. I had never even heard of Pareve either- and I worked in a grocery store for 8 years! I will most definitely look into that. Thanks for the heads up with the smart balance too. The only thing I've used butter for so far is mashed potatoes. I used spray butter, and Lactaid. I figured there was so little butter that the Lactaid probably took care of that lactose too. I think I'll pick some of that up!

Lynda- I've tried soy milk and almond milk. I can't stand either. Things make me nauseous so fast if they taste bad, so maybe I'll try them again in another few weeks.

I am glad things have gotten easier for all of you so far. I pray that mine is only temporary! In the mean time, is there anything else you ate to get through the phase I am in? I don't like to heavily rely on the Luna and Clif bars, as they do have fat and sugar- but they're dairy free and have a decent amount of protein.

It's weird because of can eat non fat yogurt but can't drink any kind of milk at all.

My daughter had mild lactose intolerance a few years ago, and the lactaid worked great for her. Also I use a lactose free protein shake, and love it. Isopure low carb dutch chocolate is lactose free. I imagine they have other lactose free flavors too, but I've only tried this one. GNC sells it.

My wife was sleeved almost a month ago, and totally lactose intolerant. From what I hear it is vet common, especially with women. But, I have also heard that it can go away over time.

11 minths out and I still cant drink much milk or eat yogurt. I drink lactose free milk and have no problems with it. Never tried the pills.

Greek yogurt has much less lactose than regular yogurt. I thin with Water if I want a runnier consistency and add my own fruit and flavorings to the nonfat plan Chobani or Fage. Lactose intolerance levels vary. Some people can't tolerate any, and some can tolerate a little.

Early out I did well with moist chicken (the costco roast chickens are nice and moist) and low fat lunch meat.

Lynda

Cheri- I didn't even think to look for Kosher bread. I had never even heard of Pareve either- and I worked in a grocery store for 8 years! I will most definitely look into that. Thanks for the heads up with the smart balance too. The only thing I've used butter for so far is mashed potatoes. I used spray butter, and Lactaid. I figured there was so little butter that the Lactaid probably took care of that lactose too. I think I'll pick some of that up!

So, there are brands that are commonly certified like Nature's Own or Vermont Bread Company and many others. Here's a link to a page that shows the symbols you can look for on packaging. http://www.kosher-directory.com/supervisions.htm#USA

Odds are that many items you already buy are certified; you just didn't know it because you aren't looking for them! In any case, there would be a symbol and then the letter "P" or the word "Pareve" after the symbol. This verifies that the bread is non-dairy. It is also becoming more common for a company to say when their product is vegetarian or vegan right on the packaging - so perhaps shopping the organic/health food section of your supermarket will give you some more options if you find your regular bread shelves lacking.

Or just bake your own bread and don't add milk or butter. That's what I do, and my kids are so spoiled that they won't even eat the store bought stuff anymore.

~Cheri

I have developed a lactose problem since being sleeved on May 6. My stomach just gets all upset and it lasts for about 24 hours. Luckily it isn't worse than that, but it is really hindering my diet. I need to start advancing my diet but I am afraid to simply because it seems EVERYTHING has milk in it! Even a few bites of toast upsets it. I'm super picky about my food, so things are really getting hard.

Who else has this problem? I feel like I am the only one dealing with that on top of recovering. I need some tips, suggestions, anything. I'd even be happy with someone else with the issue to talk to. Help? Anyone? lol

Also, has anyone with a mild lactose intolerance tried the Lactaid pills? I wonder if they're even worth the money.

Hi there! How are you handling lactose now that you're nearly three months out?

I had surgery July 13 and am experiencing total lactose intolerance as well. Your post and its responses have been very helpful. Thank you!

Hi there! How are you handling lactose now that you're nearly three months out?

I had surgery July 13 and am experiencing total lactose intolerance as well. Your post and its responses have been very helpful. Thank you!

I'm glad they have helped you, and welcome to the losers bench! Luckily I have gotten over my lactose intolerance. A few weeks ago I decided to slowly start trying things, and have had no problems since.

I hope the other posts have helped you too. They sure did me!! I ate a lot of Kraft Cracker Barrel 2% cheese, because it is lactose free. Kraft 2% string cheese is also lactose free. (it says on the back in small print) I avoided all yogurts and cottage cheese. I ended up using Lactaid milk to make powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury shakes to get my Protein in. Some instant mashed potatoes don't have milk in them. I spent so much time in the store reading labels it was crazy. I also used I can't believe its not butter spray on my mashed potatoes. I had no issues because of the lactaid in them, or maybe because I used so little- but it worked for me. When you can have breads I looked into the Kosher or Pareve kind.... Aunt millies has a link on their website that lists all of their dairy free products. They have quite a few products!!

Good Luck!

I became lactose intolerant after surgery. In the last month (10 mos post-op)I started having dairy with NO problems. Hang in there hopefully it will only be temporary. Good luck