Okay so, I thought I was doing really well. I was even discharged the day after surgery. I'm lucky enough to say I don't have any of the major medical complications that are associated with obesity. Here I am post op day 4 and I'm having a terrible time getting enough Water, nevermind Protein and "full liquids." The foods that process the easiest are those that have the least to offer - sugar free pudding and Jello...and a very small amount of light Greek yogurt. I have a lot of nausea, almost constant, and the gas pains are better but still NEARLY constant. I have no energy because I'm taking in so little and terrible headaches. On the plus side I'm sleeping better and for longer periods of time and I'm down to 2-4 pain pills a day. I'm so not a sit around and do nothing type person; having so much soreness and feeling so blah, I'm just feeling stuck.

Because I've been having such a hard time getting some type of protein, my husband suggested I try a little Peanut Butter. I mixed 2 tbsps of peanut butter with 4oz of fat-free milk and blended it in my food processor. That was 9 grams of sugar (supposed to keep it under 10) and 11.5 grams of protein. It wasn't bad and it settled pretty well. I had a little cramping but nothing I'm not already experiencing. I'm handling my Calcium chews, multi-vitamin, and Pepcid well...and I'm grateful for that! My potassium crushed in applesauce (or yogurt or pudding) isn't going well. Not only does it taste terribly BUT I get a lot of cramping and gas pains shortly after. My husband is picking up some light vanilla Greek yogurts and some peaches (packed in water) now for me to try blending to get more protein. Ladies...any suggestions or tips for these early stages?

Thanks so much!

Its hard, it really is...I am 8 weeks now & still have little minor problems..I could not get anything in either. I was told no fruit of any kind..to much sugar (including natural)& no protein in it..I still don't eat fruit..Just stay with the Greek yogurts..Dannon lite & fit has lower sugars & higher protein..you might get in 2 bites or egg salad with lite mayo..a couple of bites, but you have to get that water in..get crystal lite..it goes down easier when its warm & a protein shake, add skim milk for more protein..Get PB2 powered peanut butter, Walmart sells it..I at mashed potatoes early on too..I'd get a small container at KFC & that would last me all week...You'll feel better, I promise...and walk, walk the house back & forth if you have to...

Those first few days/week are the toughest but things should start to get better a little bit each day. Just hang in there and take it easy, you've put your body through major surgery and it needs to heal. Getting in the protein helps your body heal and will give you more energy so you'll feel better/like your old self again. Try finding a protein powder that you like and start adding that (I really like Unjury). I mix it with crystal light and get both my protein and fluids in one shot. Another thing that helped me right after surgery was setting a timer to take sips. I used my cell phone and set it to sound every 15 minutes, then went down to 12 minutes, 10 minutes etc until I was able to get all my fluids without needing the timer anymore. It's important to get your fluids in so you don't get dehydrated.

Those first few days/week are the toughest but things should start to get better a little bit each day. Just hang in there and take it easy, you've put your body through major surgery and it needs to heal. Getting in the Protein helps your body heal and will give you more energy so you'll feel better/like your old self again. Try finding a protein powder that you like and start adding that (I really like Unjury). I mix it with crystal light and get both my protein and fluids in one shot. Another thing that helped me right after surgery was setting a timer to take sips. I used my cell phone and set it to sound every 15 minutes, then went down to 12 minutes, 10 minutes etc until I was able to get all my fluids without needing the timer anymore. It's important to get your fluids in so you don't get dehydrated.

These are great ideas, thank you so much. I've had more Water today than any other day, but that's still just about 20 oz. I also did my Little Peanut Butter concoction earlier, and I'm in the process of trying to get down a banana shake ( 1oz banana, 4 oz nonfat milk, 2 oz plain Greek yogurt, and a sprinkle of Equal) to try and get some more potassium in. After I wrote my earlier post, I went to lay down and started with terrible calf cramps.

I've got the crystal light but I definitely need to get some of that protein powder to add to EVERYTHING. I'm going to set my phone alarms now too!

Its hard, it really is...I am 8 weeks now & still have little minor problems..I could not get anything in either. I was told no fruit of any kind..to much sugar (including natural)& no Protein in it..I still don't eat fruit..Just stay with the Greek yogurts..Dannon lite & fit has lower sugars & higher protein..you might get in 2 bites or egg salad with lite mayo..a couple of bites, but you have to get that Water in..get crystal lite..it goes down easier when its warm & a protein shake, add skim milk for more protein..Get PB2 powered Peanut Butter, Walmart sells it..I at mashed potatoes early on too..I'd get a small container at KFC & that would last me all week...You'll feel better, I promise...and walk, walk the house back & forth if you have to...

Thank you. I was told no potatoes so I've stayed away from even the cream Soups that have potato in them. But they seem like they'd help. I've been reading through my labels more and just realized that the skim milk is a good source of potassium and protein...which is really nice. I'm trying to walk. I am. I didn't have this much trouble walking BEFORE the surgery...I'm just so tired and I end up with so much cramping and pain in my stomach when I stand much.

Thank you so much for the advice and encouragement, I really appreciate it. I woke up and saw these and nearly cried because I thought, after reading all these stories, that I'm the only one struggling. Thank you.

Hey Girl,

Organic Peanut Butter. Its just ground up peanuts. Where I shop @ Winco Foods they have it reasonable in the bulk section. Lotsa Protein & no sugar. Carnation "sugar free" Instant Breakfast. Get the variety box which has vanilla, strawberry, malt chocolate and dark chocolate. Body Fortress whey Protein. It has 30 grams of protein per scoop. Type in the search box @ Walmart.com. You can purchase individual flavors, a 3 tub or 5 tub bundle. It is reasonable. And you can call the company and have coupns mailed to you. Also Instant or regular cream of wheat. They also come in flavors and meet the nutritional requirements for stage 2, 3, and 4. The Body Fortress whey protein powders are good and can be used with so many things. Make your own sugar free Jello and puddings. Sugar free Jello brand in the small boxes taste great. Make it with supermilk. Supermilk is 4 cups NF/Skim milk & one & 1/3 cups dry NF milk combined. These two combined bumps your milk protein up higher and can be added to lots of things like soups, puddings, jello, cream of wheat, cream of rice ect. The pre-made jello and pudding cups don't have the protein you need and are a waste of money compared to making your own with the supermilk recipe I gave you.

I am 10 days post-op so I understand. Where I had my procedure done they are very good with nutritional education. I also did a lot of research prior and had purchased all my stage 2 groceries a couple of days before surgery. I really hope this helps. If you have any questions or do not understand anything message me. I don't mind helping you.

God Bless,

Lisa

Oh yeah I forgot to mention the Campbell's creamed soups. The ones that are 98% FF. My guidelines are 5 grams of fat or less & 14 grams of sugar or less per serving. Right now those taste heavenly. I swear they do:) Try a few of these. Cream of chicken, chicken w/herbs, mushroom, celery, potato, and there are probably some others as well. I have also been able to tolerate tomato Soup. But no more that 4 oz on the soups. I really hope this info helps you.

God Bless Again,

Lisa

Lisa! Thank you SO much!!

See...that's what my husband and I were talking about earlier, being prepared ahead of time. They didn't tell me what to expect but made it sound as if I would be back on my feet and my old self within 2-3 days max. A friend recommended looking for liquid Vitamins, so that's next...but I don't understand why they'd want us to struggle with these huge potassium pills, crushing them up in applesauce and trying to stomach those, if we can take them in liquid form. I was also told that 10 grams of sugar or more will cause dumping and that I could start full liquids on day 2. That's not going very well for me other than the Peanut Butter. And of course I'm still careful with that. I did buy a lot of the soups you mentioned, but I haven't been eating them because of the sugar content and the fact that I'm ill most the day. I'm trying though. The Jello and puddings were recommended by the bariatric program, so that's what I went with. But I love all of your suggestions...thank you so much!!

Hey Girl,

I'm glad to hear that you appreciated my help. I have received a lot of nutritional educational info from OHSU where I had my procedure done like I mentioned before. And programs/doctors/dietitian info does differ from one place to the next. Just try to get as much "correct" food info you can. All of us have to get through all the stages up to stage four which is the life long stage as you know and getting the right food knowledge is gonna be huge in our success. I'm still learning myself. We all are:)

I'm so glad this website exist. I have met some great people and have learned a lot in the short period I have been on here. One of the members even downloaded a form from a company in which to get all your Vitamins for free and you can apply twice. I happen to have thought that was fantastic. Now that's support:) Talk with ya soon.....

God Bless,

Lisa

Hey Girl,

I just found a goldmine for you, me, and anyone else I meet on here for nutrition help right here on this site!! When I found it I couldn't wait to tell you and 6 other people immediately.

Click on forums, in the drop down menu go to general weight loss surgery forum, scroll down a little & click on food & nutrition, scroll down a little more and click on recipe sharing, there you will see options for stages 1-4. Lots of info........JACKPOT!!!!!

Enjoy and Blessings,

Lisa

Hey Girl, I just found a goldmine for you, me, and anyone else I meet on here for nutrition help right here on this site!! When I found it I couldn't wait to tell you and 6 other people immediately. Click on forums, in the drop down menu go to general weight loss surgery forum, scroll down a little & click on food & nutrition, scroll down a little more and click on recipe sharing, there you will see options for stages 1-4. Lots of info........JACKPOT!!!!! Enjoy and Blessings, Lisa

Lisa! Thank you again! This is all amazing! Can you forward me the info for the free Vitamins?! That would be AWESOME! The nutrition is the most important part of all of this, I agree. I wish they would have given me more to work with ahead of time, but I'm so happy to have found this place and you. Thank you.

My husband is on his way to pick up a few of the items you mentioned earlier, for me to try. Thank you for everything Lisa!! Hugs

Hey Girl,

I am so glad you were able to locate the info on here The members on here on here are great they post a wealth of info. I was going to instruct you how to find the form on here but I didn't see it. I did bookmark it though just in case. I will send it as an Adobe pdf attachment and just let me know if it went through and is view able.

Follow the instructions I gave you before but click on Proteins, Vitamins & supplements. This is a sub-forum under food and Nutrition. If you have some time there are over 20 pages of posts but throughout it I noticed members posting sites & info for all kinds of free stuff from different companies.

Nothing in this world gives a me a better feeling than to be able to help someone else,.

Blessings,

Lisa

Free Vitamins Form.pdf