Protein, protein, protein. And Fluid. Those are the most common nutritional focuses after weight loss surgery, and for good reason. They help fill you up and keep you energized. Post-op, your food choices and the space in your stomach are limited, and you might have your hands full trying to get in your protein and Water.

After a time, though, things change. You are able to eat a greater volume of food, and you can tolerate more food choices. Weight loss and maintenance may still be your highest priority, but you may also start to be thinking more about your long-term health and a sustainable diet. That is where fruits and vegetables may come in.

Eating more fruits and vegetables can lower risk for certain cancers, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes, for starters. And they are not “just” good for health. They are weight loss helpers, too. They are low-calorie and filling. After protein, your next priority on the WLS diet is to get more vegetables and fruits.

So…how well do you do at getting in your vegetables and fruits? Do you hit your five-a-day every day? Do you make them a priority, or are you so focused on protein and calories that you cannot face worrying about another dietary component? Do you have any tips for getting in more vegetables and fruits?

at 7 months out 2-3 servings, although I plan to begin adding back in my twice weekly "green" smoothies , which will boost that number to 5 or 6 on days when I have the green smoothie.

Breakfast is almost always straight up Protein - but lunch and dinner my plate is usually half lean protein, half non starchy veg. one of my Snacks is usually protein and fruit daily. further out they want half the plate veg, 1/4 lean protein and 1/4 starch - but I'm not there yet. That's the way my bariatric team's plan is structured.

I get probably 3-ish "standard" size servings of fruits/veggies in maintenance mode. I usually have a half serving of green veggies with lunch, and a full serving of green veggies with dinner, plus a small apple as an afternoon snack. If I have the calories for it at the end of the day, I have a couple pieces of dried fruit.

This plan works well for me. So far it is keeping me fit and healthy.

I'm very much focused on getting my Protein in......11 months out.

I'm sure it will change.......bur for now my norm is to get a serving of vegetables every 1-3 days and a serving of fruit about once a week.

I know this isn't the idea way to live..........but it's how I'm rolling currently.

Once I get to the weight I want to live at...........vegetables and fruit will have higher priorities.

Throughout the years with my band, I always had plenty of fruit and veggies in my diet. Every morning I had a fruit smoothie with fresh fruits and veggies. I also had the rule that if I got hungry, no matter what time, I could snack on a guava or blueberries... Etc. It worked out really well, weight-wise, skin & hair-wise, health-wise.

Right now since I just had a sleeve revision, I have to focus on Protein and Water but as I progress, I'll eventually go back to my balanced diet. As of now, I make sure I get at least one serving of fruit in my morning shake, along with veggies blended in. If I don't have fruits in my diet, my weight stalls. With fruit, and under 1400 cal/day, I can consistently and easily drop weight. Right now I'm averaging only 600 cal/day and losing about the same but on so little food... So I look forward to more fruit & veggies in my diet again. That's just me though. Everybody is different. Whatever works hehe.

I have always been able to get veggies/fruit in. I do salads most of the days, so I get my 4-5 in. I use beans a lot and those can go for protein and veggies. Great for fiber too! Don't forget your fiber.

Curious what we consider a "serving" in the post-WLS world. I think nutritionally speaking that 1/2 cup is a serving (except for leafy stuff like lettuce which is 1 cup). That is tough to do when I can only get 1 cup of food in at a time usually, so I am still trying to figure that out (almost 16 months post-op and at goal weight). I almost always get 1/2 cup of fruit with my breakfast (usually with a Protein source such as turnkey and cheese). At lunch, I try for at least another 1/2 cup of something along with a protein. And then again 1/2 cup-ish with dinner. So I guess only 3 servings. I need to figure out how to get in more but honestly, I can say that is likely more (or certainly more consistent) than I ever got prior to surgery and my old ways of eating so I guess that is something. Plus I take Vitamins which I did not do prior to surgery and hopefully helps with some of those nutrients. I need to find a way to work in at least another 1/2 cup as a snack I suppose....

Not at maintenance yet, but I have been slowly increasing my fruit and veg.

For breakfast, I usually have 1/4 of a large apple, grated in my yoghurt. I love the grated taste with bit of vanilla essence and cinnamon.

For lunch, I add bit of coleslaw salad to my healthy crisps (Cruskits) with cream/cottage cheese or hard/yellow cheese.

For dinner I have small serve of zucchinis, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and at times bit of sweet potato together with my 1/2 cup Protein (mainly turkey, chicken or fish)

For dessert I have a serve of melons (any type) with berries

So I guess, I now have 4-5 very small servings of fruit and veg per day.

I would like to increase the amounts, but I am waiting until I am at goal, and then talk with my Dietician re maintenance program and serving sizes.

I hit my five-a-day every day and more. I put them in smoothies so I can take more in.

Thanks for all of your answers as well as the tips on sneaking in a few more fruits and vegetables. It can definitely be a challenge to get in your 2-3 (or more) cups of fruits and vegetables every day when you are dealing with a tiny pouch or sleeve, or feeling so full from the band. Over the long term, though, it’s worth it to get in those fruits and vegetables for all kinds of reasons, from weight control to health concerns.